Was the Ukraine dam partially damaged days before it collapsed? Satellite images give detailed insights

Days before the Kakhovka dam in Russian-controlled southern Ukraine was struck down, it had suffered partial structural damage, satellite images of the facility taken before and after the incident shows.

Photos taken last week showed that a section of a bridge on the dam was already in poor shape at least four days before the dam blew up on Tuesday.

The BBC published two photos of the bridge’s deteriorating condition between June 2 and June 6, sourcedfrom Planet Labs— an American public Earth imaging company based in San Francisco.

Add WION as a Preferred Source

In the June 2 photo, a road across the dam appears to be damaged, but it didn’t seem to affect the flow of the water until June 6 when the dam’s wall was breached. It is currently unclear whether the damage to the road is linked to the June 6 breach.

CNN also presented a similar analysis on Tuesday but did not include the images.

Both news outlets could not conclusively point out how the wall was breached or if the damage to the roadway was responsible for it. It was also not clear if the damage was intentionally caused, or if it was the casualty of military actions from either Ukraine or Russia.

The dam, one of the continent's largest artificial reservoirs which lies along the Dnipro River, collapsed on Tuesday, flooding a swathe of the war’s frontline.

Dam breach causes flooding

Up to 100 settlements have been threatened by flooding and thousands of people have been evacuated from the local area.

Both Ukraine and Russia traded blame, while the Western countries called for investigations while offering support to Ukraine.

The satellite images taken by Maxar Technologies showed havoc created by the floods in towns and villages along the Dnipro River. According to reports, around 17,000 people have been evacuated from settlements that lay downstream of the dam.

Watch this report:

The images showed houses and buildings submerged in water, with many having only their roofs showing, and water taking over parks, land and infrastructure.

The dam is the main source of water supply to Ukraine’s agriculture fields, the Russian-occupied Crimean peninsula and is also used for cooling the Russian-held Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant.

Its destruction has created a new humanitarian crisis just as Ukraine is starting to unleash a long-awaited counteroffensive to drive Russian troops from its territory.

(With inputs from agencies)

WATCH WION LIVE HERE