The Soviet-era Nova Kakhovka dam on the Dnipro River in the Russia-occupied part of southern Ukraine came under attack on Tuesday (June 6) amid the ongoing conflict. The partial destruction of the dam, as per both officials in Moscow and Kyiv has unleashed a torrent of water.
Officials in Ukraine, hours after the damage, confirmed that some two dozen settlements had been flooded and at least 17,000 people have since been evacuated. The Russian-occupied city of Nova Kakhovka in southern Ukraine is home to the dam that both sides have accused each other of attacking.
Kyiv has also called for the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) to hold an emergency meeting over what it has described as a “Russian terrorist act”. Meanwhile, the Kremlin has dubbed the attack on the Nova Kakhovka dam as a “deliberate sabotage” by Ukraine. The UNSC has agreed to meet later on Tuesday to discuss the dam issue after both Moscow and Kyiv called for the meeting.
About the Nova Kakhovka dam
The Soviet-era dam, which is 98 feet tall and 3.2 kilometres long, was built in 1956 on the Dnipro River and holds significant amounts of water. The dam is a part of the Kakhovka Hydroelectric Power Plant in the Russia-occupied city of Nova Kakhovka in Ukraine’s southern Kherson region.
According to Reuters, the water that the dam can hold amounts to that of the Great Salt Lake in the US state of Utah which is approximately 18 cubic kilometres. It is also one of the six dams that sit along the Dnipro River and is often referred to as the Kakhovka Sea as one cannot see the other bank in certain places, reported BBC.
The dam is also responsible for the water supply to southern Ukraine’s agricultural land, the Russia-annexed Crimean peninsula and the Moscow-held Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant (ZNPP). The reservoir also feeds the Soviet-era North Crimean Canal which supplies around 85 per cent of Crimea’s water.
The dam’s reservoir also provides water essential for cooling the six reactors at the power plant. Additionally, farmers in the surrounding area also rely on the water from this dam to grow their crops and thousands are now set to face trouble in the region.
Notably, Geneva Conventions explicitly bans targeting dams during wars, due to the dangers posed to civilians by the destruction of such “works and installations containing dangerous forces”.
What happened at Nova Kakhovka dam?
Russia and Ukraine have both blamed each other for the supposed attack which has led to massive damage to the dam’s structure. Kyiv, which was reportedly the first one to report the damage to the Nova Kakhovka dam, blamed Russia. On the other hand, there have been conflicting reports from the Russia-installed officials.
Images and videos from the scene show a massive breach in the dam with a large amount of water flowing downstream in the direction of the Ukrainian city of Kherson. Meanwhile, neither Kyiv nor Moscow have offered immediate public evidence to back up their claims.
‘Terrorist attack,’ ‘ecocide’: Ukraine about Nova Kakhovka dam incident
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has accused “Russian terrorists” of destroying the dam. He went on to allege that the Russian forces blew up the Kakhovka Hydroelectric Power Station from the inside and must be held accountable for this “terrorist attack.”
The Ukrainian president after an emergency meeting of senior officials said that the incident took place at around 2:50 am (local time) and an “internal detonation of the structures of the Kakhovskaya HPP” occurred. “About 80 settlements are in the zone of flooding”.
Zelensky also said that the “world must react,” adding, “This is just one Russian act of terrorism. This is just one Russian war crime,” and went on to accuse Moscow of committing an act of “ecocide.” “Russia is at war with life, with nature, with civilisation. Russia must leave Ukrainian land and must be held fully accountable for its terror,” said the Ukrainian president.
A Ukrainian military spokesperson has also alleged that the dam was attacked to prevent Kyiv’s troops from crossing the Dnipro River to attack Russian troops occupying the area. The incident comes as Ukraine said Monday it was conducting “offensive action” on the front line amid speculation that the long-expected counteroffensive is underway.
From no attack to ‘deliberate sabotage’: What did Russia say about the accusations?
As per initial reports, a Russia-installed official in Zaporizhzhia Vladimir Rogov said no attack had taken place and that the dam collapsed due to existing damage and the pressure of the water. It was not until later that the Kremlin spokesperson said that it was a Ukrainian attempt to stop the water supply to the Crimean peninsula which Russia had annexed back in 2014.
“We can state unequivocally that we are talking about deliberate sabotage by the Ukrainian side,” said the Kremlin spokesperson. He added, “All responsibility lies with the Kyiv regime.”
“Clearly one of the aims of this act of sabotage was to deprive Crimea of water – the water level in the reservoir is dropping and, accordingly, the water supply to the canal is being drastically reduced,” said Peskov.
However, Russia had taken steps to deal with the water supply issue in Crimea, he added. The Kremlin spokesperson also went on to say that this “sabotage is also connected with the fact that having started large-scale offensive actions two days ago”.
Moscow has also “decisively rejected” accusations by Kyiv and the West that Russian troops were behind a blast that caused damage to the dam. Meanwhile, the Russian-backed head of Crimea said there was no immediate threat to the peninsula’s water supply or flooding risk but warned of potential threats that the Northern Crimean Canal “will get more shallow,” said Sergei Aksyonov.
‘Completely destroyed’: What’s the damage at the dam?
Ukraine’s Prosecutor General Andriy Kostin said that 17,000 people were being evacuated from flooded areas and more than 40,000 people are in danger of being flooded. He also warned that some 25,000 more people should be evacuated on the Russian-occupied side of the Dnipro River.
In an interview, Igor Syrota, head of Ukrhydroenergo, a Ukrainian state-owned energy company said that the Nova Kakhovka dam had been “completely destroyed” and the station “cannot be restored,” reported AFP.
Ukrainian officials have reported that some 150 tonnes of engine oil spilt in the Dnipro River due to the attack it has blamed on Russia, while Zelensky said there was “a risk of further leakage of more than 300 tons”.
Speaking about the environmental impact, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said that the floods have caused “long and irreversible harm” to the ecosystems and reported that animals at the Nova Kakhovka Zoo have “already died in the rising water”.
Europe’s largest ZNPP, which is currently under Russian control, was reported not to be under “immediate risk” by the International Atomic Energy Agency chief Rafael Grossi.
(With inputs from agencies)
Disclaimer: A number of claims and counterclaims are being made on the Ukraine-Russia conflict on the ground and online. While WION takes utmost care to accurately report this developing news story, we cannot independently verify the authenticity of all statements, photos and videos.
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