Moscow: Despite numerous assaults by Kiev's forces on the facility, the US is attempting to absolve Ukraine of any blame for the destruction of the Kakhovka hydroelectric dam, according to Anatoly Antonov, Moscow's ambassador to Washington.

According to Antonov, there is a "targeted disinformation campaign going on in the US media," with widespread claims that Moscow was responsible for the dam's collapse. Russia has maintained that Ukraine engaged in "deliberate sabotage" in order to cause the incident.

The ambassador claimed that "administration officials have framed their rhetoric as if the Russian Federation were in any case responsible for all incidents that occur during the Ukrainian conflict," adding that "such an approach does not stand up to scrutiny." 

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According to Antonov, the collapse of the Kakhovka dam constitutes "yet another gross violation of international humanitarian law by Ukraine," which has caused an ecological catastrophe and significant flooding.

The envoy claimed that Washington's "patrons" for Ukraine "never criticise Kiev" and that "all regime actions are approved, while any strikes that hurt Russians are encouraged." The position, according to Antonov, is "a textbook example of an ill-conceived, flawed position that has already caused serious upheavals in the world."

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The Kakhovka dam, which is on the Dnieper River in Russia's Kherson Region, broke on Tuesday, flooding vast areas of the country and forcing a large-scale evacuation. Since the incident, Moscow and Kiev have traded accusations about who is to blame.

Kiev has disclaimed all liability. However, in a December 2017 interview with the Washington Post, General Andrey Kovalchuk, the commander of the Ukrainian forces in the Kherson Region, disclosed that Kiev had tested a HIMARS launcher strike on one of the floodgates at the dam.

He asserted that the attack, which left the facility with three holes, was intended to test whether the damage would be sufficient to endanger the supply lines of Russian troops, who at the time were in charge of a bridgehead across the Dnieper. He denied that there was any intention to flood the nearby villages.

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Kovalchuk claimed that despite the test's success, Kiev had only considered it as a "last resort." Last November, Russian forces left their positions on the right bank of the Dnieper, citing supply problems and the need to reduce casualties.