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The Independent Trade Union of Miners of Ukraine with other the Ukrainian affiliates of the IndustriALL Global Union and IndustriALL-Europe made a statement on Kakhovka HPP explosion  and  an environmental disaster in Ukraine.   

 

On June 6, 2023, in Ukraine, the russian aggressor committed a new terrorist act of a global scale and caused a large-scale man-made accident in Ukraine and Europe. The Kakhovka hydroelectric power plant (HPP), which had been occupied by the Russians for a long time, was mined and blown up by the russians. The dam and engine room are completely destroyed. According to Ukrhydroenergo, the Kakhovka HPP cannot be restored.

Threats to civilians are growing every minute. About 80 settlements are to be evacuated.

Water will destroy cities and villages, buildings, infrastructure, enterprises. And the mechanism for destroying the environment and ecosystems for many years has been started. Pollution from enterprises and their products, for example, petroleum products, chemical materials will lead to massive pollution, and the sanitary-epidemiological crisis will not be delayed.  It is already known that more than 450 tons of engine oil, which was in turbines and transformers, fell into the water.

The Europe’s largest nuclear power plant, ZNPP, uses water from the Kakhovka reservoir to cool reactors. The water level required at ZNPP decreases very quickly, which poses a potential threat to ZNPP, and corresponding consequences for the entire European continent and the world.

What exactly will happen to the shore of the Kakhovka reservoir from the side of the ZNPP, which was mined by the occupiers, under the influence of water flows, is currently unknown.

But it is clear that russian minefields trapped underwater will be blown away by streams of water down.

At the same time, the delegations from the terrorist country Russia and its accomplice Belarus will take part in the 111th annual ILO Conference in Geneva, June 5-16, 2023.

This terrorist country that, according to the Geneva Convention, commits a war crime by blowing up the dam of the Kakhovka hydro power plant, should be expelled from all international organizations and associations.

We call on the International trade unions’ federations to make statements about the inadmissibility of participation of russia and belarus in the work of the ILO Conference and other ILO events!

We also apply to you to strengthen assistance to Ukraine in various directions in order to accelerate Ukraine’s victory and bring Russia to justice.

We emphasize that by destroying the Kakhovka HPP, russia once again committed a war crime, violated the norms of humanitarian law and environmental law.  This is a continuation of russia’s policy to destroy civilian objects, infrastructure and the economy sectors in Ukraine in order to inflict maximum loss of life and destruction. Russia has already caused $700 billion in damage to Ukraine, including destroying entire industrial cities with metallurgical and mining enterprises.

Russia must bear the international responsibility for all its crimes.

We ask you to become the voice of Ukraine on the international platforms.

Help Ukraine to bring peace and security to all its territories!

Sincerely Yours,

12 Ukrainian Affiliates of GU IndustriALL

13 Ukrainian Affiliates of IndustriALL-Europe

Nuclear Power and Industry Workers of Ukraine

Trade Union of Workers of Metallurgical and Mining Industries of Ukraine

Independent Trade Union of Miners of Ukraine

Union of Energy and Electrotechnical Industry Workers of Ukraine

Oil and Gas Industry Workers Union of Ukraine

Chemical and Petrochemical Industry Workers Union of Ukraine

Trade Union of Aircraft and Machine Building Workers of Ukraine

Trade Union of Defence Industry Workers of Ukraine

Radio Electronics and Mechanical Engineering Workers’ Trade Union of Ukraine

Automobile and Agricultural Machinery Workers Union of Ukraine

Trade Union of Machine Building and Metalworking of Ukraine

Trade Union of Coal Industry Workers of Ukraine

Trade Union of Machine Builders and Instrument Makers