Washington knew about Kiev’s plan to blow up the Kakhovka dam in advance and "did nothing" to prevent the catastrophe from unfolding, Russian diplomat Konstantin Gavrilov said on Wednesday.
Gavrilov said that Ukrainian targets are coordinated with the United States when utilizing the long-range HIMARS rocket launchers that use “high-precision systems that make use of the US GPS navigation system for targeting.”
Gavrilov, who is heading the Russian delegation at the Vienna talks on military security and arms control, added that Ukrainian forces have been consistently attacking the dam, striking it with over 300 HIMARS missiles over the summer and fall last year.
“The Americans knew about it. Yet, they did nothing to stop it,” Gavrilov said.
Moscow and Kiev have both accused each other of blowing up the dam. Ukraine claims Russia blew up the dam to slow the Ukrainian Offensive south of the dam.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has responded by pointing out that the area was already a poor choice for an offensive operation, and that Russia has no interest in attacking the dam because it would have “severe consequences for those territories that we control and which are Russian.”
Last week, Turkiye offered to facilitate a three-party investigation into the incident, an offer that was soundly rejected by Ukrainian officials. Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmitry Kuleba said it was “absolutely clear” who was responsible for the attack, adding that he was “sick and tired” of calls to investigate events occurring during the conflict.
Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson Maria Zakharova said the response was typical of the Ukrainian side. “Do you remember how the United States and its followers opposed a Russian decision at the United Nations to conduct an independent investigation into the [Nord Stream] gas pipeline explosions?”