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LIVE — Ukraine accuses Russia of blowing up Kakhovka dam
Published 7 hours agoPublished 7 hours agolast updated 3 minutes agolast updated 3 minutes ago
Ukraine says Russian forces blew up the Kakhovka dam on the Dnieper River. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said it showed why Russia “must be expelled from every corner of Ukrainian land.” DW has the latest.
https://p.dw.com/p/4SECb
The destroyed Kakhovka dam
Some 80 settlements downstream are at risk of floodingImage: Ukrainian Presidential Office via AP/picture alliance
Moscow and Kyiv blame each other for destruction of Kakhovka dam
Towns immediately downstream are being evacuated
Russian operator of the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant says there is ‘no immediate threat’
NATO secretary-general condemns attack and says civilians are at risk
The Kakhovka dam in southern Ukraine has been blown up, Ukrainian and Russian officials said on Tuesday, threatening to flood areas downstream along along the Dnieper River, also called the Dnipro River.
Ukraine’s state hydroelectric company said the power plant had been “totally destroyed” after a detonation inside the engine room.
Moscow and Kyiv have blamed each other for the damage and have offered conflicting versions on the safety situation at the Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power, some 150 kilometers away.
The Soviet-era dam also supplies water to the Crimean peninsula downstream, which was annexed by Russia in 2014, and supplies a reservoir upstream to the Zaporizhzhia power plant.
Several islands have flooded while both Ukrainian and Russian-installed authorities said some 80 settlements downstream were at risk of being inundated.
Infografik Karte Staudamm Kachowa in der Ukraine ENInfografik Karte Staudamm Kachowa in der Ukraine EN
DW has more on the latest below.
Ukrainian and Russian officials trade blame
“The Kakhovka [reservoir] was blown up by the Russian occupying forces,” the South command of Ukraine’s Armed Forces said on Tuesday morning on its Facebook page.
“The scale of the destruction, the speed and volumes of water, and the likely areas of inundation are being clarified.”
The Ukraine’s Kherson regional administration said that the water level would reach a critical level in five hours and began evacuating the population from dangerous areas.
The Moscow-installed mayor of the nearby town of Nova Kakhovka initially denied social media reports that the dam had been blown up, but later said the dam had been shelled in “a serious terrorist act.”
Zelenskyy accused ‘Russian terrorists’ of dam attack
Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy labeled Russia “terrorists” and lay the blame at Moscow’s feet.
“The destruction of the Kakhovka hydroelectric power plant dam only confirms for the whole world that they must be expelled from every corner of Ukrainian land,” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said.
“Not a single meter should be left to them, because they use every meter for terror.”
Zelenskyy said he had convened the National Security and Defense Council and called for people to spread only official and verified information.
Evacuations underway downstream
Russian-installed mayor of Nova Kakhovka, which lies immediately downstream from the dam, has begun civilian evacuations. A state of emergency has also been declared in the district.
Vladimir Leontyev said the water level in the town had risen by 10 meters (33 feet) and is expected to reach 12 meters.
“The water continues to mount. An evacuation is being carried out of civilians from the adjacent flooded zones to preserve all lives… There is no panic in the town,” he said in a video message on Telegram.
A flooded church in Nova KakhovkaA flooded church in Nova Kakhovka
Photos published by Russian media show inundated settlements along the Dnipro RiverImage: Kherson Region emergency service/Tass/dpa/picture alliance
NATO condemns dam blast
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said the destruction of the Kakhovka dam shows the brutality of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
“The destruction of the Kakhovka dam today puts thousands of civilians at risk and causes severe environmental damage,” Stoltenberg said in a post on Twitter
“This is an outrageous act, which demonstrates once again the brutality of Russia’s war in Ukraine.”
Meanwhile, Ukrainian presidential advisor Andriy Yermak called the incident “ecocide.”
Russia claims the dam was shelled by Ukrainian forces.
Kakhovka breach could affect water supply and nuclear plant
01:32
‘No immediate risk’ to Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant
The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said there is “no immediate threat” to the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant.
“IAEA experts at Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant are closely monitoring the situation,” the United Nations agency wrote on Twitter.
The Russian engineer currently in charge of the power plant, Yury Chernichuk, said the water cooling the facility’s spent nuclear fuel storage rods operates on a closed circuit and is not in direct contact with the Dnieper River.
A satellite image of the Kakhovka dam on June 5A satellite image of the Kakhovka dam on June 5
Satellite imagery shows the early stages of the damage to the Kakhovka hydroelectric damImage: Maxar Technologies/REUTERS
“At the moment there are no threats to the safety of Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant,” the official with Russia’s state nuclear energy corporation Rosatom said.
Ukraine’s state nuclear agency also said the situation was under control, but said the lower water levels nevertheless posed an additional threat to the safety of the power station.
zc, dh/msh, kb (AP, AFP, dpa, Reuters)
