Ukraine dam supplying nuke plant, Crimea breached in blast, thousands evacuate amid flooding fears
Story highlights
Unverified visuals on social media show the reservoir "emptying into the Dnipro" river after a series of intense explosions around the Kakhovka dam. Other videos show water surging through the remains of the dam, with bystanders expressing their shock, sometimes in strong language
A vast Soviet-era dam in the Russian-controlled part of southern Ukraine was destroyed on Tuesday. According to both the Ukrainian and the Russian forces, the destruction has unleashed a flood of water across the war zone. The destruction of the major dam has flooded nearby regions, prompting Ukraine to evacuate 16,000 residents from the 'critical zone'.
The two sides have blamed each other for destroying the dam.
Unverified visuals on social media show the reservoir "emptying into the Dnipro" river after a series of intense explosions around the Kakhovka Dam. Other videos show water surging through the remains of the dam, with bystanders expressing their shock, sometimes in strong language.
Disclaimer: WION cannot independently verify the authenticity of photos and videos shared on social media.
A multi-hundred foot chunk of the Nova Kakhovka dam is gone, the Kakhovka Reservoir is quickly emptying out into the Dnipro. pic.twitter.com/265i1nbvAO
— OSINTtechnical (@Osinttechnical) June 6, 2023
Ukraine's military claims that the Russian forces were behind the destruction of the Nova Kakhovka dam.
"The Kakhovka (dam) was blown up by the Russian occupying forces," said the South command of Ukraine's Armed Forces on its Facebook page.
The scale of the destruction, the speed and volumes of water, and the likely areas of inundation are being clarified."
However, Russian news agencies said that the dam was destroyed by shelling. The mayor of Russia-controlled Nova Kakhovka city, as per Reuters, has blamed "an act of terrorism" which apparently is a Russian code for a Ukrainian attack.
Nuclear danger
As per a report by Russia's TASS agency citing Moscow-backed officials in the Zaporizhzhia region, there was no "critical danger" to the Russia-controlled Zaporizhzhia facility.
However, the Russia-installed head of the Kherson region said that the water could reach critical levels in five hours and that evacuation has begun in nearby areas.
Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky's emergency meeting
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky will hold an emergency meeting over the Nova Kakhovka dam blast. The information was shared on Twitter by Oleksiy Danilov, secretary of Ukraine's National Security and Defence Council.
Significance of Nova Kakhovka dam
The dam, which is 30 metres tall and 3.2 kilometres (around two miles) long, was built in 1956 on the Dnipro River.
It holds significant amounts of water. As per Reuters, it holds water equivalent to the Great Salt Lake in the US state of Utah.
The Nova Kakhovka Dam supplies water to Crimea, a region annexed by Russia in 2014 and to Europe's largest nuclear plant, the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant, which is also under Russian control.
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.
(With inputs from agencies)
WATCH WION LIVE HERE
You can now write for wionews.com and be a part of the community. Share your stories and opinions with us here.