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Ukraine has accused Russia of destroying a major dam along the Dnipro River, and is urging residents living downstream of the Nova Kakhovka Dam in Kherson to evacuate in the face of catastrophic flooding.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called an emergency meeting to deal with the crisis after the Ukrainian Interior Ministry wrote on Telegram that part of the Kakhovka dam, near Kherson, had been blown up by Russians.
Footage from what appeared to be a monitoring camera overlooking the dam that was circulating on social media purported to show a flash, explosion and breakage of the dam.
Oleksandr Prokudin, the head of the Kherson Regional Military Administration, said in a video posted to Telegram shortly before 7 a.m. that ‘the Russian army has committed yet another act of terror,’ and warned that water will reach ‘critical levels’ within five hours.
A satellite image shows the Nova Khakovka Dam has been damaged (Picture: Reuters)
Zelenskyy moved to convene an emergency meeting of the country’s security and defense council following the dam explosion, the council’s secretary, Oleksiy Danilov, wrote on Twitter.
Ukraine and Russia have previously accused each other of targeting the dam with attacks, and last October Zelenskyy predicted that Russia would destroy the dam in order to cause a flood.
Authorities, experts and residents have for months expressed concerns about water flows through — and over — the Kakhovka dam.
In February, water levels were so low that many feared a meltdown at the Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, whose cooling systems are supplied with water from the Kakhovka reservoir held up by the dam.
Kyic has warned residents living downstream to evacute the area immediately (Picture: Reuters)
By mid-May, after heavy rains and snow melt, water levels rose beyond normal levels, flooding nearby villages. Satellite images showed water washing over damaged sluice gates.
Ukraine controls five of the six dams along the Dnipro River, which runs from its northern border with Belarus down to the Black Sea and is crucial for the entire country’s drinking water and power supply.
The Kakhovka dam — the one furthest downstream in the Kherson region — is controlled by Russian forces.
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Kyiv has warned residents living downstream of the dam to evacuate the area immediately.
