Drone footage shows ruins of Kakhovka dam, flooded areas two days after Russian attack
Nova Kakhovka dam breach — what is known
During the night of June 6, Russian forces, which have occupied the town of Nova Kakhovka for over a year, blew up the dam, completely or partially flooding downstream cities and towns along the Dnipro River, including the reginal capital of Kherson.
The evacuation of citizens in the affected areas on the west bank of the Dnipro River has been ongoing throughout the night. Meanwhile, a humanitarian disaster is underway on the east bank, which is under Russian occupation and suffered a great deal more due to its lower elevation.
Read also: Some animals from zoo in Nova Kakhovka managed to escape death from flooding
At an urgent meeting of the National Security and Defense Council, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy ordered the evacuation of at-risk areas and the provision of drinking water to towns and villages served by the affected Kakhovka Reservoir.
The Kakhovka Hydroelectric Power Plant is completely destroyed, with no possibility of its repair, Ukrainian state hydroelectric company Ukrhydroenergo said. The dam was not fully destroyed, but suffered significant damage, the Ukrainian military’s South Operational Command said.
The Ukrainian Prosecutor General's Office has opened an investigation on the incident under the charge of ecocide.
President Zelenskyy called Russia's attack on the Kakhovka Hydroelectric Power Plant the largest man-made environmental disaster in Europe in decades.
Ukraine’s Defense Intelligence has said that the Russian demolition of the Kakhovka Hydroelectric Power Plant increases the threat of a nuclear disaster.
Read also:
Kakhovka hydro plant reservoir water level drops after dam is damaged
Kakhovka hydropower plant blown up by Russians from within, but not all of the dam destroyed
Attack on Kakhovka dam is Kremlin’s response to calls for peace talks, says Ukraine’s envoy to UN
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