Ukrainian authorities today accused Russian troops of blowing up the dam at the Kakhovka hydroelectric power station and asked residents in areas along the Dnipro River in southern Ukraine to leave their homes.
The Southern Command of the Ukrainian Armed Forces advanced the destruction of the infrastructure, 60 kilometers from the city of Kherson, and indicated that it is investigating the extent of the damage, as well as the speed and amount of water that should affect neighboring areas.
The head of the Kherson Regional Military Administration, Oleksandr Prokudin, said, in a video published on the Telegram platform, shortly before 07:00 (05:00 in Lisbon), that “the Russian army committed another act of terror” and warned that water should reach “critical levels” within five hours.
The Ukrainian Interior Ministry has asked residents of 10 villages on the right bank of the Dnipro River and parts of the city of Kherson to gather essential documents and pets, turn off electrical appliances and leave their homes.
Images that circulate on social media, and which appear to be from a surveillance camera, overlooking the dam, show a focus of light, an explosion and the dam collapsing.
The head of the cabinet of the Ukrainian Presidency, Andriy Yermak, revealed that President Volodymyr Zelensky, urgently convened a meeting of the Security Council of the country, after “another war crime committed by Russian terrorists”.
In response, Moscow said the dam had collapsed “due to damage” caused by the conflict, confirming that nearby land was experiencing flooding.
“The dam failed, a support collapsed and the flooding started,” a source told the official Russian TASS news agency.
The mayor of the occupied city of Nova Kakhovka said that at around 02:00 (23:00 on Monday in Lisbon), Ukrainian forces carried out “a series of attacks on the Kakhovka hydroelectric power station, which destroyed the valves”.
Also according to TASS, Vladimir Leontiev said water was coming out of the dam “uncontrollably”.
In response, Moscow said the dam had collapsed “due to damage” caused by the conflict, confirming that nearby land was experiencing flooding.
“The dam failed, a support collapsed and the flooding started,” a source told the official Russian TASS news agency.
The mayor of the occupied city of Nova Kakhovka said that at around 02:00 (23:00 on Monday in Lisbon), Ukrainian forces carried out “a series of attacks on the Kakhovka hydroelectric power station, which destroyed the valves”.
Also according to TASS, Vladimir Leontiev said water was coming out of the dam “uncontrollably”.
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