The Minister of Foreign Affairs of Latvia and Council of Europe's President of the Committee of Ministers, Edgars Rinkēvičs, the President of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, Tiny Kox and the Secretary General of the Council of Europe, Marija Pejčinović Burić made the following statement:
"We condemn in the strongest terms the destruction of the Nova Kakhovka dam in the Kherson region of Ukraine. Such a reckless act has triggered the displacement of numerous civilians and endangered their livelihoods risking another senseless humanitarian crisis. We are also greatly concerned by the potential hazardous consequences on the environment, energy security and nuclear safety which may reach beyond Ukraine.
"The Nova Kakhovka dam has been under occupation since the first days of the brutal, unjustified and unprovoked large-scale aggression of the Russian Federation against Ukraine. Russia bears full responsibility for violations of international humanitarian law and war crimes including attacks against civilian and critical infrastructure.
"The Council of Europe is determined to support and promote national and international efforts to ensure accountability. The International Register of Damage Caused by the Aggression of the Russian Federation Against Ukraine, the first necessary and legally-binding component of a future international compensation mechanism, will be imminently launched as a concrete step to this end. "
