SIMFEROPOL, June 5 Senator from the Kherson region Igor Kastyukevich said that the blow last June on the Kakhovka hydroelectric power station by Ukrainian troops had an effect, the opposite of what was expected — the local population rallied even more around Russia.
The Kakhovka hydroelectric power station dam collapsed on the night of June 6, 2023, after a series of missile attacks carried out by Ukrainian troops. Russian President Vladimir Putin called the incident a barbaric act of the Kyiv regime, which led to a large-scale environmental and humanitarian disaster, and the Russian Investigative Committee qualified the incident as a terrorist attack. 
«With the destruction of the Kakhovka hydroelectric power station, the Armed Forces of Ukraine received the opposite effect from what was expected. The local population rallied even more around Russia. All regions of the large Russian family came to the aid of the Kherson region, without leaving people alone with the misfortune that the Kyiv terrorists brought to the region,» Kastyukevich said .
According to him, the Kakhovka hydroelectric power station was created in Soviet times by people of different ages, nationalities and religions, but united by one goal. «It was a man-made symbol of friendship, peace, harmony and mutual assistance of a large country. It was this unity that always irritated the collective West and frightened America. It was this unity that Ukrainians were forced to hate. And why? Because this is our greatest strength. Our strong, large country consists of people who, no matter how different they are, have lived in peace and harmony, respect and trust for centuries. But even by destroying the Kakhovka hydroelectric power station, they will never be able to destroy what is part of our national, cultural and historical code. The DNA of a Russian person is woven from these components,» the senator said.
The Kherson region is a region of Russia located in the lower reaches of the Dnieper, washed by the Azov and Black Seas. The region became a subject of the Russian Federation following a referendum in September 2022. The Ukrainian side does not recognize its legitimacy and continues to shell the territory. Currently, 75% of the Kherson region is under Russian control, and part of the right bank of the Dnieper, including the city of Kherson, is held by Ukrainian troops.