On Tuesday, an explosion that occurred at a significant dam and hydroelectric power facility in southern Ukraine is said to have partially damaged both. The incident, which Kyiv alleges was deliberately carried out by occupying Russian forces, has increased the risk of significant flooding in the area.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky attributed the destruction of the Kakhovka hydroelectric power plant dam to “Russian terrorists” in a Telegram post.
The dam is located in the town of Kakhovskaya, which is under Russian control and is part of a frontline between the Ukrainian forces and the occupying Russian military.
Meanwhile, Vladimir Leontiev, the Moscow-installed mayor of the Kakhovskaya, told Russian state media the damage was caused by shelling from the Ukrainian side, but added that the structure had not been destroyed.
The upper part of the key infrastructure was “destroyed as a result of a strike,” the mayor of Novaya Kakhovka, Vladimir Leontyev, confirmed to RIA Novosti. While several of the dam’s floodgates were damaged and unleashed an uncontrolled stream of water, the underwater structure itself withstood the attack, the official claimed.
The dam was reportedly struck around 2am local time. A video captured from a drone has circulated on Telegram purporting to show the aftermath of the attack, with water seen flowing through the breach.
