A major hydroelectric dam in southern Ukraine has blown up, which will likely cause flooding to dozens of nearby towns and cities, including the Kherson region, the majority of which has been under Russian control since near the beginning of the invasion in February of 2022.
The city of Kherson itself, recently retaken by the Ukrainians late last year, will likely be largely flooded as well. Videos posted to social media of the destroyed Kakhovka dam appear to show some nearby islands already underwater.
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Both Ukrainian and Russian sources have pointed the finger at each other for the destruction, as it remains unclear what advantages and disadvantages the strategically-placed Kakhovka dam offer for both sides.
The hydroelectric dam sits on the Dnipro River and has long been speculated to be a target for either the Russians or Ukrainians, depending on the timing and necessity. In October, Russian troops guarded the plant, with Moscow warning that Ukraine would possibly try to attack the dam in order to flood broad areas in order to retake land.
Populations at risk of flooding are being evacuated as the most severe inundation is expected to take place within the next few hours.
Oleksiy Danilov, Ukrainian National Security and Defense Council secretary, said President Volodymyr Zelensky called an emergency meeting due to the dam’s explosion, which could complicate Ukraine’s efforts at retaking land in the country’s south.
Zelensky said in October that Russia was preparing for a “terrorist attack” at the Kakhovka hydroelectric power plant and the dam was “mined by Russian terrorists.”
“Now everyone in the world must act powerfully and quickly to prevent a new Russian terrorist attack. Destroying the dam would mean a large-scale disaster,” he warned.
The mayor of Nova Kakhovka, which has been under Russian control since February 2022, told the Russian state media outlet TASS on Monday night that the dam collapsed due to previous damage inflicted in attacks overnight. He added that the city itself does not need to be evacuated.
“The mayor called the destruction of the valves of the Kakhovskaya hydroelectric power station the most serious act of terrorism,” the outlet wrote.
Yury Podolyak, a Russian blogger with more than 2.7 million subscribers on Telegram, said his information illustrates that the dam was not intentionally destroyed but rather broke under the massive weight of the water and previous damage inflicted as part of the war.
In addition to the towns and cities expected to be flooded in the coming hours, another concern about the dam’s destruction is the fact that the Dnieper River helps cool the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Station.
The massive new development in the war comes as Ukraine is expected to launch a counteroffensive at any time against Russia to retake land previously lost. The Ukrainian Defense Ministry said the counteroffensive could begin at any time without warning, as “Plans love silence. There will be no announcement of the start.”
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This is a developing news story. Check back here for updates.
