A key dam and hydroelectric power plant in southern Ukraine was partially destroyed by an explosion on Tuesday—which Kyiv claims was carried out by occupying Russian forces—raising the threat of massive flooding in the southern region of Ukraine.
A satellite image showing the damaged Kakhovka hydroelectric power plant and dam. (Maxar ... [+]
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy attributed the destruction of the Kakhovka hydroelectric power plant dam to “Russian terrorists” in a Telegram post, adding that “they must be expelled from every corner of Ukrainian land.”
The dam is located in the town of Kakhovskaya, which is under Russian control and is part of a frontline between the Ukrainian forces and the occupying Russian military.
Vladimir Leontiev, the Moscow-installed mayor of the Kakhovskaya, told Russian state media that the damage was caused by shelling from the Ukrainian side, but added that the structure had not been destroyed.
The governor of the Kherson province, Oleksandr Prokudin on Telegram, said nine settlements in the region have already been completely or partially flooded by the destruction of the dam, adding that around 16,000 people are residing in the “critical zone” where the flooding may be most severe.
Prokudin added residents in the flooded regions are being evacuated to Kherson, from where further evacuations to other parts of the country will be carried out.
This is a developing story