Ukrainian women accuse Russia of blowing up dam, rendering thousands homeless

The Kakhovka dam was damaged recently, becoming the next flashpoint of the Russia- Ukrainian war. Both parties have accused the other of blowing up the structure. In the midst of this controversy, two women have drawn attention to the threats posed by the Kakhovka dam’s breakage. Alisa Malysheva and Alisa Malysheva dropped a series of pictures on Instagram with a poster that reads, "My Home Is Flooding Because Of Russia."

“Today Russians committed a terrorist act by blowing up the Kakhovka dam, which was under Russian control for more than a year. This is likely the biggest technological disaster Europe has experienced in decades," the post said.

The post continued, “As a result, more than 13 settlements were flooded, more than 1,300 people evacuated so far. The statistics is only about territory which is controlled by Ukraine, the consequences on the occupied by Russians territory is bigger and hidden. Destruction of hydroelectric power plants is considered a weapon of mass destruction and a war crime. Russians are dangerous for everything alive.”

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On June 6, the Kakhovka dam, which maintains a massive reservoir of 2,155 square kilometres on the Dnipro river, was attacked. The dam provides water to a large region of the southern Ukrainian countryside, including the Russian-occupied Crimean Peninsula. It also serves to cool the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power station, which is in control of Russian forces, as per Reuters. The reservoir holds 18 cubic kilometres of water, which is approximately equal to the Great Salt Lake in the United States.

The Kakhovka dam was constructed in the mid-1950s during the Soviet Union era. The reservoir is 140 kilometres long and 23 kilometres wide. Since the dam was damaged, images and videos of flooded cities and villages have been making the rounds on social media.

The Zaporizhzhia nuclear power station is not under any immediate threat. "Our current assessment is that there is no immediate risk to the safety of the Zaporizhzhia plant," International Atomic Energy Agency chief Rafael Grossi told Reuters.

Disclaimer: A number of claims and counterclaims are being made on the Ukraine-Russia conflict on the ground and online. While WION takes utmost care to accurately report this developing news story, we cannot independently verify the authenticity of all statements, photos and videos.

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