Ukrhidroenergo, a Ukrainian company, has filed a case with the European Court of Human Rights seeking compensation for damage linked to the destruction of the Kakhovka hydroelectric power plant. The company announced this through its Telegram press service and confirmed the submission as part of the case Ukrgidroenergo, PAT v. Russia. The filing indicates Ukrhidroenergo hopes the court will move quickly to review the situation and issue a ruling. The claim argues that the damage violates the first additional protocol to the Geneva Convention on the Protection of Victims of International Armed Conflict, which lists objects that must not be targeted in armed conflict. The assessed total damages include the Kakhovka hydroelectric power station and an incomplete wind farm on Zmeiny Island, estimated at about 17 billion hryvnias, equal to more than 460 million dollars. On the night of June 6, the upper portion of the Kakhovka facility was destroyed in the Kherson region near Novaya Kakhovka, triggering widespread flooding in dozens of settlements, including Kherson and New Kakhovka. Both Russia and Ukraine have accused each other of breaching the dam’s integrity, while a version circulated that the incident stemmed from preexisting structural damage. Ukrhidroenergo has stated that the plant was left completely destroyed and cannot be restored. The Russian president has questioned the enforceability of European Court of Human Rights judgments in Russia, arguing that bias and prejudice undermine judicial independence and the legitimacy of international rulings. Attribution: company press release and verified public records.
