Ukraine war: Kyiv accuses Russia of shelling Kherson evacuations

Ukraine has accused Russia of attacking evacuation points for those affected by the Kakhovka dam breach, after a person was killed by shelling in Kherson.

The Kherson prosecutor's office said two others were also injured, while the interior ministry said eight more were hurt by shelling in Korabelna Square.

The attacks came as President Volodymyr Zelensky visited the city, where he met with locals affected by the flooding.

2,000 people have been evacuated from the area, Kherson's governor says.

Speaking in a video statement posted to Telegram, Oleksandr Prokudin said the "evacuation from zones of flooding is continuing" despite the "immense danger and constant Russian shelling".

But he said that 68% of the flooded territory in the Kherson region was on Russian-held territory on the east bank of the Dnipro River.

The river has slowly swelled since the Kakhovka dam collapsed on Tuesday, causing thousands to flee their homes. The World Food Programme told the BBC on Thursday that the situation was a "public health crisis in the making" due to pollution including sewage, heavy oil and pesticides mixed into floodwater.

Ukraine says the flooding has affected an area of around 600 km sq (230 sq miles), and hundreds of thousands of people have been left without drinking water. The Ukrainian army has used drones to drop water bottles and food to some residents.

While the water level seems to have stabilised in Kherson itself, it still flows through streets at a daunting height, and flies now fill the air along with a pungent smell.

Rescue teams and volunteers are continuing to head out on boats to salvage anyone, or anything they can. Their efforts are punctuated by outgoing artillery fire.

Both Kyiv and Moscow have accused each other of targeting evacuation points in the Kherson region. Mykhailo Podolyak, a senior adviser to President Zelensky, accused Russia of bombarding the city and of "preventing rescuers from evacuating the population".

The Kremlin-installed head of the Kherson region, Vladimir Saldo, said on Telegram that two people died after Ukraine shelled a civilian evacuation point which was flooded after the dam breach.

And Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov claimed that Russian rescue workers are "forced to work in conditions of ongoing shelling from Ukraine, and this complicates their work". He did not provide evidence to back up these claims.

Speaking in Kherson, where he met with rescue workers, President Volodymyr Zelensky repeated his criticism of the international community, including the UN and the Red Cross, for their slow response to the dam collapse.

And he vowed to local residents that his government would be available to help them rebuild their lives.

"You are going through this difficult ordeal now," Mr Zelensky said. "We will help you and rebuild everything that needs to be restored. I thank you and wish you good health."

The Kremlin said there were no plans for President Vladimir Putin to visit the affected zones.

Communities on small islands close to Russian occupied territory are said to be experiencing the worst of these floods. Whole homes there have been submerged.

And a local Russian-installed official said five people have died and 41 have been hospitalised by flooding in the region.

Elsewhere, fighting has continued in some areas, as analysts watch to see how Ukraine's long-anticipated advance takes shape.

Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu said on Thursday that his forces had withstood fierce attempts by Ukrainian troops to break through the frontline in Zaporizhzhia province overnight.

And footage posted to social media by pro-war Russian bloggers and geolocated by the BBC appeared to show units of Ukrainian armour coming under artillery fire as they advanced towards Russian held areas in Zaporizhzhia region.

The column appeared to be advancing towards fortifications at Tokmak, around 5-10km back from the limit of Russian control. The BBC cannot verify when the advance occurred.

In the east, Ukraine's Deputy Defence Minister Hanna Maliar said Kyiv's forces were continuing to advance around the city of Bakhmut.

In a daily intelligence update, the UK's ministry of defence said "heavy fighting continues along multiple sectors of the front," noting that Ukraine "holds the initiative" in most areas.

On Wednesday Oleksiy Danilov, the secretary of Ukraine's national security council, denied reports of the new offensive and said that when Kyiv does launch an offensive "everyone will know about it".

Senior US officials have previously told the BBC's US partner CBS News that it is accurate to say that the Ukraine counteroffensive is in its opening phases, but that the main thrust has not yet begun.