Several villages were “completely or partially” flooded in southern Ukraine after the partial destruction of the Kahovka hydroelectric dam on the Dnieper River in the Kherson region. About 16,000 people live in the affected areas and the authorities have started evacuations. Ukrainians and Russians blame each other for destroying the dam. Kiev has accused Russia since last year of placing mines on the Nova Kahovka dam and that it would blow it up if the Ukrainian army launched a counteroffensive.
Industrial oil pollution
UPDATE 13:15 The area downstream of the Nova Kahovka dam, blown up Monday night, includes 80 localities, says President Volodymyr Zelenski.
“Approximately 80 localities are in the flooded area. It was ordered to evacuate from the risk areas and ensure drinking water in all towns and villages that were supplied with water from the Kahovka reservoir. We do everything to save people. All services, military, government, are involved. During the meeting, it was agreed on a set of international and security measures to hold Russia accountable for this terrorist attack,” announced Volodymyr Zelensky in a message on Telegram.
The Security Council of Ukraine, meeting urgently, has been informed that at least 150 tons of industrial oil have leaked into the Dnieper River and there is a risk of additional spills of over 300 tons.
Mass evacuations after the destruction of the dam
“About 16,000 people are in the critical zone,” Oleksandr Prokudin, head of the military administration of the Kherson region, announced on social networks.
“The water rises. We see partial flooding of settlements. Indeed, the flow of the river has increased,” said the head of the Kherson regional council, Aleksandr Samoilenko
The city of Kherson will be particularly affected, he added, stating that some parts of the lowlands of the Dnieper and Ingulets rivers will also be affected.
The Ukrainian military accused Russia in a statement of being behind the explosion at the Kahovka hydroelectric plant. President Zelensky has urgently convened his security council, announced the head of the Ukrainian presidential administration Andrii Iermak, who denounced a “war crime”.
For their part, the local authorities installed by Moscow declared that no large locality is in danger of being flooded after the partial destruction of the Kahovka hydroelectric dam.
“According to the rescue services, the water has risen (…) to a level between 2 and 4 meters, which does not threaten the large towns” located below the dam along the river, Andrei Alekseenko, the chief, said on Telegram government of Kherson region, installed by Russia.
Danger for the Zaporozhye nuclear power plant?
Ukrainian state nuclear power company Energoatom said the destruction of the Kherson dam “could have negative consequences” for the Zaporozhye nuclear power plant, but for now the situation is “under control”.
At the same time, company representatives blamed the Russians for flooding the dam: “On the night of June 6, 2023, Russian invaders blew up the Kahovka dam.”
They explained that the “rapid drop” in the reservoir’s water level poses an “additional threat to the temporarily occupied Zaporozhye nuclear power plant.” For now, however, the nuclear plant’s cooling pond is full.
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