Key Takeaways:
- The Kakhovka Power Plant Dam was destroyed yesterday.
- Russia and Ukraine have traded blows for the incident, accusing each other of terrorism.
- The destruction of the dam threatens a humanitarian crisis
YEREVAN (CoinChapter.com) — On the early morning of June 6, the Russian-controlled Kharkiv region of southern Ukraine witnessed the explosion of the Kakhovka Dam, a Soviet-era structure.
The dam’s destruction resulted in a substantial release of water, affecting both the dam and the hydroelectric power plant. Questions as to who blew up the Kakhovka Hydroelectric Power Plant now persist. Both Ukraine and Russia blame each other for the calamity.
The Kakhovka Dam, spanning Ukraine’s Dnieper River along the front line, has a height of 30m and a length of 3.2km. Constructed in 1956 as a Kakhovka hydroelectric power plant component, it holds a massive volume of water utilized for supplying the Crimean peninsula and the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant.
According to Ukraine’s military and civilian authorities, Russian forces were responsible for destroying the dam.
“The Russian army has carried out another terrorist attack. They have blown up the Kakhovka dam,”
Oleksandr Prokudin, head of the Military Administration of Kherson province, said.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy also blamed the dam’s destruction on Russia, calling them “the most dangerous terrorist in the world.”
Using the opportunity to push for more Western support, Zelensky called on European powers to end their weakness and help Kyiv defeat Russia. The Ukrainian President called the Kakhovka Dam blast “the largest man-made environmental disaster in Europe in decades.”
“The destruction of the Kakhovka hydroelectric power plant dam only confirms for the whole world that they must be expelled from every corner of Ukrainian land. Not a single meter should be left to them, because they use every meter for terror,”
Zelenskhy wrote in a subsequent tweet.
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Russia claims Ukraine destroyed the Kakhovka Dam
In an expected turn of events, Russia, in turn, blamed Ukraine for the attack on the Kakhovka Dam. Claiming that the Kyiv regime staged the attack to hide its failure in offensive operations.
Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu blamed Ukraine for carrying out a terrorist act in the Russian-occupied Kharkiv region.
“In order to prevent Russia’s offensive actions in this section of the front, the Kiev regime has carried out a sabotage, essentially a terrorist act, which has resulted in the flooding of significant areas and will have serious and long-lasting environmental consequences,”
Shoigu stated.
According to Vladimir Leontyev, the Russian-appointed mayor of the town, the water levels have exceeded 11 meters (36 feet). This has led to the hospitalization of certain residents. Russia’s TASS news agency quoted Leontyev claiming that his office has evacuated 900 individuals due to the incident.
As tensions remain high, the destruction of the Kakhovka Dam signifies that neither Russia nor Ukraine is ready to end the war.
