The Russian invaders are draining water from Kakhovka Reservoir and thus trying to deprive Ukrainians who receive water from the Dnieper River of access to water supply, Prime Minister of Ukraine Denys Shmyhal has said.

"Today, Russia intends to make living conditions in Ukraine unbearable. Fourteen missile attacks on the Ukrainian energy system. The latest attack on the energy system, on February 10, lasted more than 24 hours. Missiles and drones fired at six energy facilities and seven high-voltage substations of backbone networks," he said at a government meeting on Tuesday.

The prime minister said that power engineers have already managed to quickly connect consumers to backup power supply systems, and today minor network restrictions operate only in Odesa and nearby areas, as well as parts of Kherson and Kharkiv regions.

"But the enemy does not stop. Now the Russians are trying to deprive Ukrainians of access to water supply. After the partial destruction and deliberate opening by the Russians of the locks of Kakhovka Hydroelectric Power Plant, we lose thousands of cubic meters of water every day. Because of this, 70% of the settlements that receive water from the Dnieper River may be left without access to drinking water," he said.

In addition, Shmyhal said that the nuclear threat is even greater, since a decrease in the water level in the storage facility could lead to improper functioning of the cooling systems of Zaporizhia Nuclear Power Plant.

"I think no one needs to explain how this threatens Ukraine, Europe and the world as a whole. Therefore, the civilized world should not be silent. Ukraine calls on all available means to put pressure on Russia so that it closes the floodgates and restores the hydraulic structures at Kakhovka HPP or allows Ukrainian specialists to do this. I appeal to international partners and emphasize: otherwise, we will face an environmental catastrophe that will have countless destructive consequences for the entire continent," Shmyhal said.