UN complains Russia blocks aid workers from area of Ukraine dam collapse; Moscow says it’s unsafe

By SUSIE BLANN
Associated Press

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — The Kremlin’s spokesman says U.N. aid workers who want to visit areas ravaged by a recent dam collapse in southern Ukraine can’t go there because fighting in the war makes it unsafe. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov didn’t explicitly admit that Russia had blocked U.N. access. But he told a conference call with reporters Monday that Ukrainian attacks made a visit too risky. The U.N. earlier rebuked Moscow for allegedly denying aid workers access to Russian-occupied areas where residents are stranded amid “devastating destruction.” The U.N. humanitarian coordinator for Ukraine said in a statement that her staff was engaging with both Kyiv and Moscow in a bid to reach civilians in need. Ukraine and Russia control different parts of the area.