Kherson According to both warring parties, a large and important dam near the front was badly damaged in the part of southern Ukraine occupied by Russia. On Tuesday morning, Kiev and Moscow blamed each other for the incident in the Kherson region with potentially serious consequences.
The Ukrainian Task Force South announced that the Russian occupiers had blown up the dam in the town of Nowa Kakhovka. The military governor of the region, Olexander Prokudin, warned that the water level could reach a critical level within five hours.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky convened the National Security Council in Kiev. Military governor Prokudin said evacuations had begun on the left bank of the Dnipro River, where the Ukrainian-liberated capital of the region, Kherson, is located. “The extent of the destruction, the speed and volume of the water and the likely flood areas are being determined,” he said. So far, according to Ukrainian information, around 300 houses have been evacuated. According to officials, the dam is unlikely to be repairable.
The Russian occupiers, on the other hand, blamed Ukrainian shelling for the damage to the Kakhovka dam. “The water has risen,” said Moscow-appointed Mayor Vladimir Leontiev, according to Russian state news agencies. So far, however, there is no need to bring civilians to safety.
According to Russian authorities, however, 22,000 people are at risk of flooding. This is reported by the Russian state news agency RIA, citing the administration installed by Russia in the occupied parts of the Ukrainian Kherson Oblast. The people lived in 14 settlements in southern Kherson Oblast. According to the Russian state news agency Tass, around 80 towns could be affected by the destruction of the dam.
Water level could be a problem
However, Mayor Leontyev conceded that there could be problems with the water supply on the Black Sea peninsula of Crimea, which was annexed by Russia in 2014 and lies south of Kherson. This is supplied with water from the Kachowka reservoir. The information provided by both sides about the incident at the dam could not initially be verified independently.
Videos were shared on Ukrainian media and social networks that appeared to show rising water levels around the city of Kherson. In addition, recordings were shared, which apparently showed the massive amounts of water flowing out of the dam wall in Kachowka. The authenticity of the videos could not initially be independently verified.
In view of the tense situation, President Zelenskiy convened the Security Council. “Russian terrorists,” Zelensky also wrote on Telegram. “The destruction of the dam of the Kakhovka hydroelectric power station proves to the whole world that they must be expelled from every corner of Ukraine.”
Different data on the safety of the Zaporizhia NPP
However, there are different statements about the safety of the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant. According to the Russian account, the collapse of the dam poses no immediate danger to the nuclear power plant. This is reported by the Russian state news agency TASS, citing an administrative representative deployed by Russia in the occupied Zaporizhia region.
According to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), there is no direct danger to the nuclear power plant.
(Photo: dpa)
According to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), there is also no direct danger. IAEA experts are monitoring the situation, Tass quoted from a statement by the IAEA.
However, the Ukrainian atomic energy authority Energoatom sees a danger for the nuclear power plant. The situation in the nuclear power plant is currently under control, Energoatom reports on Telegram. “Water from the Kachowka reservoir is necessary for the plant to receive electricity for the turbine condensers and safety systems of the nuclear power plant,” explains Energoatom. “Currently, the plant’s cooling basin is full: at 8:00 a.m., the water level is 16.6 meters, which is sufficient for the plant’s needs.”
British Foreign Secretary James Cleverly blames Russia’s invasion for the destruction of the dam and calls for the immediate withdrawal of Russian troops from Ukraine. “I’ve heard reports about the explosion at the dam and the risk of flooding,” Cleverly, who is currently in Ukraine, told Reuters.
“It’s too early to make any meaningful assessment of the details. But one should not forget that the only reason this is a problem at all is because of Russia’s unprovoked all-out invasion of Ukraine,” says the minister. “We will continue to assess the development of the situation, but the best thing Russia can do now is to withdraw its troops immediately.”
Russia had attacked neighboring Ukraine more than 15 months ago and also occupied the Cherson region as part of its war of aggression. Last fall, the Ukrainian army then managed to liberate part of the region – including the regional capital of the same name, Cherson. However, towns south of the Dnipro remained under Russian control, including the dam town of Nowa Kakhovka.
This is how the Handelsblatt reports on the Ukraine war:
In recent months, the Ukrainians have repeatedly warned of a possible act of sabotage by the Russians in Nowa Kakhovka. There was particular concern when the occupiers announced the evacuation of the city last November.
More: You can find the latest developments in our news blog on the Ukraine war