In a major incident, a Ukrainian dam located in the east of the country has been destroyed, resulting in widespread devastation, raising fears for the safeguarding of the close-by Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant
This event poses a serious risk to the lives of civilians. Approximately 16,000 residents close to the area of the Nova Kakhovka hydroelectric plant have received a warning to evacuate their homes.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy took to Twitter and attributed the explosions to “Russian terrorists” – however, Russian sources deny any responsibility.
“The destruction of the Kakhovka hydroelectric power plant dam only confirms for the whole world that they must be expelled from every corner of Ukrainian land,” Adding that “all services are working.”
Russian terrorists. The destruction of the Kakhovka hydroelectric power plant dam only confirms for the whole world that they must be expelled from every corner of Ukrainian land. Not a single meter should be left to them, because they use every meter for terror. It’s only… pic.twitter.com/ErBog1gRhH
— Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) June 6, 2023
Zelenskyy also revealed that he had called for a meeting of his National Security and Defense Council.
In an official communication, the Southern Operational Command of Ukraine expressed the following “Russian occupation troops blew up the dam”, adding, “The scale of destruction, speed and amount of water, and likely areas of flooding are being determined.”
The Nova Kakhovka dam, a relic from the Soviet era, spans Ukraine’s Dnieper River and retains an immense volume of water, approximately 18 cubic kilometers, which is comparable to the size of Utah’s Great Salt Lake.
Ukrhydroenergo, the Ukrainian state-owned operator of the plant, verified through an official statement that due to explosions occurring in the machine hall, the Kakhovka hydroelectric power station has been completely devastated, rendering it irreparable.
The International Atomic Energy Agency has verified that their specialists stationed at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant are actively observing the situation. However, the agency provided assurance that there is currently no imminent threat to the nuclear safety of the facility.
Insights from Ukrainian journalists reporting from the ground
Open Access government conducted an interview with Alisa Orlova, a reporter from Ukraine’s leading newspaper, the Kyiv Post, who is currently reporting from the ground.
She addressed the alarming news about the significant damage caused by the release of water from the dam.
“All the Ukrainians are shocked — today Ukrainians woke up to this news which shocked us very very much— we knew we were dealing with a terrorist state, and with people who can only destroy, damage and kill. However, we had hoped they were not able to cause such a huge damage for the ecosystems, the ecology, for citizens, for animals and even for their own military forces.”
She highlighted the devastating impact of the dam water release, including damage to Ukrainian and Russian forces, as well as civilians;
“The water from the dam flows from both ways— from the right bank of the river and the left bank of the river— the left bank of the river is occupied by Russian forces and a lot of the villages near there are also occupied by Russian forces — and from there they have firing positions and from there they also usually shell Kherson city, which was liberated by Ukrainian forces in November.
She also added, “They have not just damaged not only just to our Ukrainian forces and also Ukrainian citizens but also to their own troops on the ground. It has truly been a disaster.”
The explosions threaten critical water levels and have forced the evacuations of villages
In a communication shared via Telegram, Oleksandr Prokudin, the regional leader of Kherson, conveyed that due to the detonations, the water level would escalate to a critical point within a span of five hours, necessitating the evacuation of residents residing in close proximity.
Highlighting the gravity of the situation, he emphasized that approximately 16,000 individuals on Kherson’s right bank were situated within the critical zone and would be relocated using bus transportation. Ukrainian sources have indicated that roughly 80 villages face potential risks.
Ukrainian dam blasts amount to a war crime
Numerous prominent figures have voiced their belief that the explosions are tantamount to a war crime.
Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba commented, “inflicting probably Europe’s largest technological disaster in decades and putting thousands of civilians at risk,” adding it could constitute a “heinous war crime.”
European Council President Charles Michel expressed similar sentiments, “The destruction of civilian infrastructure clearly qualifies as a war crime — and we will hold Russia and its proxies accountable,” Michel tweeted.
