Casualties reported among the civilian population
“A Ukrainian and reconnaissance group” blew up the Togliatti-Odessa ammonia pipeline in Kharkov region on Monday night, the Russian Defense Ministry said on June 7. Casualties among the civilian population have been reported.
Ammonia is used for a variety of industrial and agricultural purposes. It is a toxic gas or liquid that, when concentrated, is corrosive to tissues upon contact. Exposure to ammonia in sufficient quantities can be fatal to humans, livestock and wildlife.
Exposure to high concentrations of ammonia in air causes immediate burning of the eyes, nose, throat and respiratory tract and can result in blindness, lung damage or death. Inhalation of lower concentrations can cause coughing, and nose and throat irritation.
Russian authorities said that a huge poisonous gas cloud had erupted in northeastern near Kharkiv after the ammonia pipeline exploded. A video published by a Telegram channel show the toxic cloud drifting through a wooded area close to the town of Masyutivka, which sits in a “grey zone” between the Russian-controlled regions to the south and the Ukrainian regime positions further north.
According to Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova, it would take one to three months to repair the damaged pipeline. The facility, running from the Russian city of Togliatti to the Ukrainian port of Odessa, is one of the world’s longest pipelines for ammonia transportation.
The resumption of operations on this ammonia pipeline was one of Russia’s conditions for the recent extension of the Black Sea grain deal with Ukraine. Moscow has said it will limit the number of ships allowed to travel to Ukraine’s Pivdennyi port near Odesa under the deal until the pipeline is restarted.
Source: ShanghaiEye 魔都眼, 8 June 2023.
VIDEO: