Nova Kakhovka Dam explosion “one of consequences” of “brutal and destructive war” waged by Russia - Georgian PM

Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili on Tuesday said the explosion at the Nova Kakhovka Dam in Ukraine was “one of the consequences” of the “brutal and destructive war” waged by Russia in Ukraine.

In his remarks over the incident, in which the Ukrainian authorities accused Russian forces of blowing up the facility on the Dnipro River on Tuesday and causing a flooding of nearby areas, Garibashvili said the war had “destroyed” 20 percent of Ukraine's territory, with its cities and villages “razed to the ground”.

The Government head stressed there was “no alternative to peace”, and called for the parties to “sit down and negotiate ending the war” instead of “escalating the situation”.

“There is no alternative to peace. We don't see any real efforts to end this war or calls for negotiations - instead we see more escalation, more aggression”, Garibashvili said.

To this date, we remind you that as a result of the devastating war in Ukraine, 20 percent [of Ukraine’s territory] has been occupied - this is today's reality, and they say that a trillion dollars in damage has been caused to Ukraine, and the most serious one is human life. More than 500 children and tens of thousands of people have died”, he noted. 

Garibashvili also said the “rhetoric of nuclear war” had returned with “direct threats” of their use being made, adding the task of the Georgian Government under the conditions was to maintain peace in the country.

Our task, when 20 percent of the country is occupied and the Russian army is stationed [in the occupied regions], is to save the country, maintain peace, strengthen and increase the economy”, Garibashvili said.