Ukraine accuses Russia of destroying a large dam near Cherson and warns of widespread flooding

As President Zelenskyy convenes his Security Council, Ukraine has accused Russian forces of blowing up a major dam and hydroelectric power station, triggering massive flooding that could displace hundreds of thousands of people.

The Russian news agency Tass quoted an unspecified Russian government official as saying that the Kakhovka dam “collapsed” due to damage.

Ukrainian authorities have previously warned that the dam failure will release 18 million cubic meters (4.8 billion gallons) of water, flooding Kherson and dozens of other areas home to hundreds of thousands of people, and causing a meltdown in nearby Russian-held territory could threaten nuclear power plant.

A senior adviser confirmed that President Volodymyr Zelenskyy will urgently convene his Security Council on Tuesday following an explosion at the Kakhovka Dam in the south of the country.

The dam provides vital cooling at the Russian-occupied Zaporizhia nuclear power plant.

‘Hydroelectric power station Kakhovka. Another war crime by Russian terrorists. “The President has convened the National Security Council,” Presidential Chief of Staff Andriy Yermak wrote on Telegram.

Ukraine’s Interior Ministry wrote on Telegram that the Kakhovka Dam had been blown up and asked residents of ten villages on the right bank of the river and parts of the city of Kherson downstream to collect important documents and pets, turn off appliances and leave. and at the same time warns of possible disinformation.

Footage from what appeared to be a surveillance camera overlooking the dam circulated on social media reportedly showed lightning, an explosion and the dam breaching.

Oleksandr Prokudin, the head of the military administration of the Kherson region, said in a video posted to Telegram just before 7 a.m. that “the Russian army has committed another terrorist attack” and warned that within five hours the water level would be “critical values” will reach .

After the dam blast, Zelenskyi requested an emergency meeting of the country’s Security and Defense Council, Council Secretary Oleksiy Danilov wrote on Twitter.

Ukraine and Russia have previously accused each other of targeting the dam, and last October Zelenskyy predicted Russia would destroy the dam to trigger a flood.

Authorities, experts and local residents have been raising concerns about the flow of water through and over the Kakhovka Dam for months.

In February, water levels were so low that many feared a meltdown at the Russian-held Zaporizhia nuclear power plant, whose cooling systems are supplied with water from the Kakhovka reservoir contained by the dam.

In mid-May, after heavy rains and snowmelt, the water level rose above normal and flooded surrounding villages. Satellite images showed water pouring over damaged lock gates.

Ukraine controls five of the six dams along the Dnipro River, which runs from the northern border with Belarus to the Black Sea and is vital to the entire country’s drinking water and electricity supply. The Kakhovka Dam – the most downstream dam in the Kherson region – is controlled by Russian forces.

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