Jaw-dropping pictures show water cascading through Nova Kakhovka dam after explosions
Dramatic images show the moment an enormous dam on the Dnipro River in southern Ukraine was destroyed in an alleged Russian attack, releasing tidal waves of floodwater into the conflict zone.
Ukraine’s military claimed that Moscow blew up the Kakhovka dam, which separates the warring armies in the Russia-occupied part of Kherson.
Russian officials gave conflicting accounts, with some saying the Soviet-era dam was destroyed by Ukrainian shelling, and others saying it collapsed because of earlier damage.
The dam, which is 30 metres (98 feet) tall and 3.2 km (2 miles) long, supplies water to the Crimean peninsula, which Russia annexed in 2014, and to the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant, which is also under Russian control.
Water pours through destroyed dam
President Zelensky posted a video on social media showing water gushing through the damaged dam. He added that the attack showed that Russian troops “must be expelled from every corner of Ukrainian land”.
The “terrorists will not be able to stop Ukraine with water, missiles or anything else”, he wrote on Telegram.
“It’s only Ukraine’s victory that will return security,” he said. “And this victory will come.”
Flooding swirls around the Soviet-era dam
He also urged the public to “please spread official and verified information only”.
He has called an emergency meeting of the country’s National Security and Defence Council.
The President accused Russia of blowing up the hydropower dam structures “from inside” at around 02:50 local time. He said about 80 towns and villages could be affected by the flooding as a result.
He added that emergency services were doing “all we can to save people”.
Russia has denied carrying out the attack on the dam.
The dam usually holds back an enormous reservoir supplying water for communities, as well as cooling water for the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power station, about 100 miles upstream.
Satellite image shows water breaking through dam
The UN’s nuclear watchdog has said there is “no immediate nuclear safety risk” at the nuclear plant.
The dam was built during the Soviet era and is one of six dams along the Dnipro river.
Oleksandr Prokudin, the regional head of Kherson, accused Russia of “yet another act of terror”.
He claimed that about 16,000 homes in the region were in “critical risk” zones for flooding.
He said residents were being affected to the city of Kherson and further afield.
Water shown flooding Kherson region after breaking through dam
James Cleverly, the British Foreign Secretary, who is currently visiting Ukraine, has said the destruction of the dam would not have happened had Russia not invaded Ukraine.
He said: “I’ve heard reports of the explosion on the dam and the risk of flooding. It’s too early to make any kind of meaningful assessment of the details,” he told Reuters news agency.
Video shows water from reservoir crashing through damaged dam
He added that the “only reason this is an issue at all is because of Russia’s unprovoked full-scale invasion”.
According to Russia’s state-owned news agency, the occupied town of Nova Kakhovka is now under water.
“The water levels in Novaya Kakhovka have already exceeded ten meters and measure from two meters to four meters downstream of the Kakhovka HPP [hydro-electric power plant],” it reported.
It claimed that 14 settlements with a population of 22,000 people were in the flood area.
Jens Stoltenberg, the secretary-general of Nato, called the destruction of the dam an “outrageous act”.
He said: “The destruction of the Kakhovka dam today puts thousands of civilians at risk and causes severe environmental damage.
“This is an outrageous act, which demonstrates once again the brutality of Russia’s war in Ukraine.”
Zelensky convenes emergency security meeting after dam blast
