Russia accused of detonating dam near Cherson Ukraine accuses Russia of destroying a dam on the Dnipro river near Cherson, while Russia puts the blame on Ukraine. A city directly at the dam has been flooded.
Russia is said to have detonated an important dam on the Dnipro river in the Cherson region of southern Ukraine. The Ukrainian government has warned of floods. Up to 80 towns downstream are threatened, said Prime Minister Denys Schmyhal. According to local authorities, about 16,000 people live in the “critical zone”. The hydroelectric power plant associated with the dam has been completely destroyed.
Twitter outlet “The Kyiv Independent” published pictures of the destroyed dam and heavy floods.
Ukraine: “Another act of terrorism by Russia”
The head of the regional Ukrainian military administration in Cherson, Oleksandr Prokudin, said in a video published on Telegram that Russia had committed another act of terrorism. He warned that the water level of the Dnipro could reach a critical level in the next few hours. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky convened a crisis meeting of the National Security Council, Olexij Danilow reported on Twitter.
Ukrainian presidential adviser Mykhailo Podoljak suspects a military background to the dam’s detonation. Russia obviously aims to create insurmountable obstacles for the planned Ukrainian major offensive, Podoljak wrote on Twitter. This was an attempt to delay the end of the war.
Russia denies responsibility
The Russian side confirmed the destruction of the dam but blamed Ukrainian shelling for the damage to the Kachowka dam. According to the Russian State TV channel, an explosion created a hole in the dam. The head of the Cherson Region Administration appointed by Russia, Vladimir Saldo, said in a video disseminated on Telegram that Ukraine wanted to distract from the failure of its counter-offensive in the east.
Possible effects also for the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant
According to Ukraine’s nuclear energy agency, the destruction of the dam could also have consequences for the operation of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant upstream. The situation there is, however, under control, the agency said. “Water from the Kachowka reservoir is necessary for the plant to receive electricity for turbine condensers and safety systems of the nuclear power plant,” explained Energoatom. “Currently, the cooling pond at the plant is full: At 8am, the water level was 16.6 meters, which is sufficient for the plant’s needs.”
Conflicting information on water supply to Crimea
It is unclear to what extent the destruction of the dam will affect the water supply of the annexed Crimean Peninsula. While administrator Leontew admits to possible problems, the state news agency Tass reports that the North-Crimean Canal is not in danger of drying up. The canal that supplies Crimea with water is fed by the Kachowka reservoir and runs through southern Cherson, which faces the peninsula.
In October last year, President Zelensky accused Russia of having mined the dam and warned against detonating it: “If they do that, there will be a disaster,” said Zelensky at the time.
After its attack on Ukraine, Russia also occupied the Cherson region. Last autumn, the Ukrainian army liberated part of the region, including the eponymous regional capital Cherson.
However, cities south of the Dnipro river remained under Russian control, including the dam city of Nova Kakhovka.