"I hope that their trick with the Kakhovka hydroelectric power plant and offensive operations in Kherson and Zaporozhye will fail. It will soon be proposed to include German Leopards in the Red Data Book, since they are being destroyed by Russians," Mikhail Ulyanov, Permanent Representative to International Organizations in Vienna, told a Russian broadcaster.
Commenting the destruction of the Kakhovka dam, the diplomat stated that the Russian military command calculated every step and took into account every possible development.
"We spoke about the possibility of an explosion at Kakhovka as early as a year ago and withdrew our forces from Kherson at the right moment. It is clear that our leadership foresees and knows everything," the envoy added.
The upper part of the Kakhovka power plant on the Dnepr River was damaged in early June. It was not destroyed completely, but its crumbling caused an uncontrollable outflow of water to towns on the Russian-controlled eastern bank of the river and the Ukrainian-held western bank. Moscow stated that Kiev is responsible for the destruction.