Dnieper dam destroyed, Ukraine starts evacuations due to flooding

NOS Nieuws•vandaag, 07:09

The Kakhovka dam in the Kherson region of southern Ukraine has been destroyed. Ukraine accuses Russia of blowing up the important dam and has started evacuations. Russian media also report that areas are flooding due to heavy damage to the dam.

Unverified footage shows large volumes of water flowing from one side of the dam to the other. It is feared that dozens of villages and parts of the port city of Cherson will be flooded. The city is several tens of kilometers away. Within hours, the water level will be critical, says the governor of Kherson. Ukrainian President Zelensky has called for emergency talks.

These would be images of the damage to the dam:

A terrorist act, that’s what the authorities installed by Russia call the sabotage of the Kachovka dam. But who would have blown up the dam, nothing is said in Russian state media yet. Ria Novositi states that the locks were destroyed by artillery fire, but maintains that the dam of the water reservoir is still intact.

Concerns about nuclear power plant

In any case, both Russia and Ukraine are reporting flooding. There are great concerns about the consequences of the leak. The dam is crucial for the water supply of Crimea, annexed by Russia in 2014. The water is also used to cool the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant. According to the Russian-installed authorities, the situation there is still okay.

This nuclear power plant, the largest in Europe, has been in the hands of Russia since the beginning of the war. There are regular reports of shelling around the power station. The power station has also been disconnected from the power network for a number of times as a result of the war.

Foreign editor Chiem Balduk:

“On images you can see that the middle of the dam has broken through and the water is flowing away with great force. There are also numerous videos of the city of Kherson where you can see the water level rising. It is clear that the dam is no longer there and that the water rises quickly.

The Kakhovka dam is located in the Dnieper, the main river of Ukraine. The dam is located just north of the city of Kherson, which Ukraine liberated in November. The low-lying area is in Russian hands and a large part of it will be flooded. It is unclear whether people still live there or whether they have already been evacuated due to acts of war. Most of Kherson’s neighborhoods are elevated. A resident told me that most city residents are safe.

Ukraine has long warned that this would happen. The timing is not accidental: in recent days there have been increasing reports that the long-awaited counter-offensive has begun. Ukraine already feared that if it tried to cross the Dnieper to liberate the south, the dam would be blown up to stop the advance.”

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