Anadolu staff
06 June 2023•Update: 06 June 2023
BERLIN
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz on Tuesday accused Russia of deliberately targeting civilian infrastructure in Ukraine.
Commenting on the destruction of a major dam in the Russian-seized Kherson region, Scholz said Russia is “escalating” the war, as Moscow has “failed to achieve its goals” in Ukraine.
“Russian President [Vladimir Putin] had thought that he would have conquered Ukraine in a few weeks, but everything turned out differently,” he said during a panel session at WDR Europa Forum.
“Russia has recently experienced many setbacks, and that’s why it came to the conclusion that it needs to act with even greater aggression against Ukraine,” Scholz said.
“So, this is something which has a new dimension, but which fits with the way Putin is waging this war,” he added.
Scholz argued that Germany and its allies should continue providing economic, humanitarian and military support to Ukraine, to help Ukrainians to defend their country.
Explosions at the Kakhovka Hydroelectric Power Plant in southern Ukraine unleashed floodwaters on Tuesday, with both Moscow and Kyiv accusing each other of destroying the dam.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Twitter the destruction of the dam "confirms for the whole world that they (Russian forces) must be expelled from every corner of Ukrainian land."
Russia strongly rejected accusations and claimed that the attack was carried out by Ukraine to cut Crimea's water supply.
The attack was carried out by Kyiv, and it should bear full responsibility for the consequences, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told a press briefing in Moscow.
