Global Courant
A massive dam on the front lines of the war in southern Ukraine has been destroyed, according to a video verified by NBC News and local officials.
Water poured through the critical Kakhovka dam on Tuesday, threatening to flood the surrounding Kherson region, prompting immediate evacuations from nearby areas and an emergency meeting in Kiev.
Ukraine accused Russian troops of blowing up the dam, which is located in a Russian-controlled area of the frontline. Russian news agencies said the dam was destroyed by shelling, while a senior Russian official said it was a terrorist attack, implying an attack by Ukraine.
NBC News has not verified either party’s claims.
It comes a day after Kiev’s armed forces appeared to be launching a new wave of attacks across the front lines in the south and east, fueling speculation that their long-awaited counter-offensive may have begun.
During the war, both sides accused each other of making attacks on the dam, while Kiev has expressed fears that Moscow would destroy the dam to cause a flood. Experts have speculated that the destruction of the dam could have catastrophic consequences for local communities and the environment.
A satellite image courtesy of Maxar Technologies shows the Kakhovka dam in Ukraine last month, before it was destroyed.AFP – Getty Images
The Soviet-era dam, 100 feet long and 2 miles long, was built on the river in 1956 as part of the Kakhovka Hydroelectric Power Station. It holds water equivalent to the Great Salt Lake in the US state of Utah.
Water from the reservoir supplies the plant, much of the surrounding region, including the Russian-controlled Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, and Russian-occupied Crimea.
Ukrainian officials urged residents of 10 villages and parts of the city of Kherson to collect essential documents and pets, turn off appliances and leave, while warning of potential disinformation.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy pointed the finger at “Russian terrorists.” He called an emergency meeting of the country’s defense and security councils.
“The destruction of the dam of the Kakhovka hydroelectric power station only confirms to the whole world that they must be expelled from every corner of the Ukrainian land,” he said. he said on Twitter. “The terrorists will not be able to stop Ukraine with water, missiles or anything.”
Russian-installed officials said there was not yet any danger to the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, the largest in Europe, from the destruction of the dam. They said evacuation had begun near the dam and the water would reach critical levels within hours.
The Kherson region was annexed by the Kremlin last year but is only partially controlled by Moscow’s forces after an earlier Ukrainian offensive recaptured the eponymous regional capital.
It has long been speculated that Ukraine will renew its efforts to drive Russian troops out of the area, which is bisected by the crucial Dnipro River, and threaten the Russian-annexed Crimean peninsula further south.
This is an evolving news story; check back later for updates.
Reuters and Associated Press contributed.
