Turkey's President Erdogan floats Kakhovka dam probe in Zelensky, Putin calls

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan proposed setting up an international commission to investigate the destruction of Ukraine's Kakhovka dam in calls with his Russian and Ukrainian counterparts, his office said Wednesday.

Ukraine has accused Moscow of committing a war crime by blowing up the Soviet-era hydroelectric dam early on Tuesday. The dam powered a hydroelectric station and was occupied by Russia. The Kremlin blames the collapse on Ukraine.

Erdogan said "a commission could be established with the participation of experts from the warring parties, the United Nations and the international community, including Turkey, for a detailed investigation into the explosion," his office said after the call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.

Erdogan made the same proposal during a separate call with Russian President Vladimir Putin, saying that Turkey was ready to do its part.

He told Putin "it is important to carry out a comprehensive investigation into the explosion at the Kakhovka dam in a way that leaves no room for suspicion."

The dam sits on the Dnipro River, which feeds a reservoir providing cooling water for the Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia nuclear power station, Europe's largest, some 150 kilometres (90 miles) upstream.

The destruction of the dam has forced thousands of civilians to flee as huge areas downstream have been flooded, raising fears of an ecological disaster.

NATO member Turkey has good relations with both Moscow and Kyiv.