Ukraine dam destroyed: Dozens of nearby towns expected to be flooded

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A major hydroelectric dam in southern Ukraine has blown up, which will likely cause flooding in dozens of nearby towns and cities, including the Kherson region, the majority of which has been under Russian control since near the beginning of the invasion in February 2022.

The city of Kherson, recently retaken by the Ukrainians late last year, will likely be largely flooded as well. Videos posted on social media of the destroyed Kakhovka dam appear to show some nearby islands already underwater.

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The hydroelectric dam sits on the Dnipro River and has long been speculated to be a target for either the Russians or Ukrainians, depending on the timing and necessity. In October, Russian troops guarded the plant, with Moscow warning that Ukraine would try to attack the dam in order to flood broad areas to retake land.

Russia Ukraine War Kherson Explainer
Russian troops guard an entrance of the Kakhovka Hydroelectric Station, a run-of-river power plant on the Dnieper River in Kherson region, south Ukraine, on May 20, 2022. This photo was taken during a trip organized by the Russian Ministry of Defense.


Populations at risk of flooding are being evacuated, and the most severe inundation is expected to take place on Tuesday. Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal announced on Tuesday around 5 a.m. Eastern time that no casualties had been reported due to the dam collapse.

Oleksiy Danilov, secretary of the Ukrainian National Security and Defense Council, said President Volodymyr Zelensky called an emergency meeting due to the dam’s explosion, which could complicate Ukraine’s efforts at retaking land in the country’s south.

Zelensky said in October that Russia was preparing for a “terrorist attack” at the Kakhovka hydroelectric power plant and that the dam was “mined by Russian terrorists.”

“Now everyone in the world must act powerfully and quickly to prevent a new Russian terrorist attack. Destroying the dam would mean a large-scale disaster,” he warned.

The mayor of Nova Kakhovka, which has been under Russian control since February 2022, told the Russian state media outlet Tass on Monday night that the dam collapsed due to previous damage inflicted in attacks overnight. He added that the city itself does not need to be evacuated.

“The mayor called the destruction of the valves of the Kakhovskaya hydroelectric power station the most serious act of terrorism,” according to Tass.

Yuri Podolyak, a Russian blogger with more than 2.7 million subscribers on Telegram, said his information illustrates that the dam was not intentionally destroyed but rather broke under the massive weight of the water following previous damage inflicted as part of the war.

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In addition to the towns and cities expected to be flooded in the coming hours, another concern about the dam’s destruction is the fact that the Dnipro River helps cool the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Station.

The development in the war comes as Ukraine is expected to launch a counteroffensive at any time against Russia to retake land previously lost. The Ukrainian Defense Ministry said the counteroffensive could begin at any time without warning, saying, “Plans love silence. There will be no announcement of the start.”

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