Reuters: Ukraine, Russia trade blame over sabotaging Kakhovka dam on Dnipro River
Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov on Tuesday said that Ukraine sabotaged the Kakhovka dam to distract attention from its faltering counteroffensive, and rejected Kyiv’s claim that Moscow had blown up the dam. Blasts at a Soviet-era dam in the Russian controlled part of southern Ukraine on Tuesday unleashed floodwaters across the war zone.
The dam, 30 meters (yards) tall and 3.2 km (2 miles) long and which holds water equal to the Great Salt Lake in the US state of Utah, was built in 1956 on the Dnipro River as part of the Kakhovka hydroelectric power plant.
It also supplies water to the Crimean Peninsula, annexed by Russia in 2014, and to the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant, which is also under Russian control.
Meanwhile, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy accused Russian forces of blowing up the Kakhovka Hydroelectric Power Station from inside the facility, and said Russia must be held to account for a “terrorist attack.”
Read more ....
WNU Editor: Western media is pushing the narrative from Kyiv that Moscow is destroying this dam. But why would Russia destroy a dam in an area they control and have done so for a year? A dam that also provides the water supply via through the North Crimean Canal to Crimea. The flooding is also going to primarily impact the southern bank of the river, which is controlled by Russian forces.
What is even more worrisome is that this dam is critical to providing adequate water levels in the Kakhovka reservoir to cool the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant. And while the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has said there is no immediate nuclear safety risk and that a cooling pond beside the facility could be used to cool the plant if necessary, this only means that one of the many nuclear safeguards at the plant can no longer be relied upon.
Update: According to Russian authorities, the breach is expanding .... Kakhovka HPP continues to collapse, water is discharged uncontrollably — mayor (TASS). More here .... Half of spans of Kakhovka HPP collapse, destruction continues — emergency services (TASS).
Update #2: My gut tells me this is probably why the dam collapsed .... Western journalists speculate that it might not have been explosion that destroyed dam at hydroelectric power plant (Ukrainska Pravda). Concerns about the Kakhovka dam have been persistent since last year when it was shelled and partially damaged. But no one is going to repair a dam in the middle of a war-zone.
On a personal note. I saw a small dam collapse near my property a decade ago. People noticed a problem that was getting worse due to the spring thaw, but no one did anything. After a few days it just collapsed. It looks like this is what happened to the Kakhovka dam
Live Updates
LIVE — Ukraine accuses Russia of blowing up Kakhovka dam -- DW
Live: Evacuations under way as water gushes through damaged Ukraine dam -- BBC
Live: Villages evacuated in flood-hit Ukraine as Kyiv accuses Moscow of destroying dam -- France 24
Russia-Ukraine war live: evacuations under way near Kherson after Kyiv accuses Moscow of destroying dam -- The Guardian
Live Updates: Major dam collapse triggers evacuations as Russia's war in Ukraine rages on -- CNN
LIVE UPDATES: Kakhovka Power Plant Destruction Deliberate Sabotage by Ukraine - Kremlin -- Sputnik
Dnieper Dam Collapse Unleashes Floods In Southern Ukraine
Collapse of major dam in southern Ukraine triggers emergency as Moscow and Kyiv blame each other -- AP
Strategically vital Nova Khakovka dam blown up near border between Ukraine and Russia -- ABC News
Nova Kakhovka Dam blown up in Ukraine's Kherson region, settlements being evacuated -- ABC News Australia
Ukraine Says Russia Has Destroyed A Major Dam In What Zelenskiy Calls A 'Terror' Attack -- RFE
Hydroelectric dam in Kherson partially destroyed – mayor -- RT
Ukraine commits sabotage at Kakhovka HPP, says Kremlin -- TASS
Ukrainian dam collapse ‘no immediate risk’ to Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant -- The Guardian
Thousands flee homes as collapse of dam is blamed on Russian forces -- The Guardian
Ukraine dam: Thousands evacuated from ‘critical zone’ near Kakhovka plant -- BBC
Villagers flee after Kakhovka dam destroyed, flooding Ukraine war zone -- Reuters
Explainer: What the Kakhovka Dam Catastrophe Means For the Ukraine-Russia War -- Moscow Times
The destruction of a major Ukrainian dam could have grave consequences. Here’s what we know so far -- CNBC
Nova Kakhovka dam: everything you need to know about Ukraine’s strategically important reservoir -- The Guardian
5 comments:
The Washington post reported on a “test” HIMARS attack last year that damaged the gates of the dam. I recall seeing video from the aftermath and the concrete was cracked pretty badly as well.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2022/12/29/ukraine-offensive-kharkiv-kherson-donetsk/
[Maj. Gen. Andriy] Kovalchuk considered flooding the river. The Ukrainians, he said, even conducted a test strike with a HIMARS launcher on one of the floodgates at the Nova Kakhovka dam, making three holes in the metal to see if the Dnieper’s water could be raised enough to stymie Russian crossings but not flood nearby villages.
The test was a success, Kovalchuk said, but the step remained a last resort. He held off.
It’s possible that it just gave way finally, though it would be a pretty big coincidence for it to happen on the second day of ukraines counteroffensive.
The water will flatten out sections of the anti tank trenches, it will possibly displace some dragons teeth, and it will sweep a considerable amount of land mines down toward the coast. Russian artillery will have been forced back dozens of kilometres from their staging points near kherson. This is a big win for the UAF tbh.
Russia has strategic gains from this. As does Ukraine, but Russia more-so for it eliminates one possible avenue of attack from Ukraine.
To say that this does not benefit Russia in any way shape or form is extremely idiotic, even for WNU Editor who often makes bold assumptions based on Kremlin-bias.
My first gut reaction was Ukraine even though Im pro Ukraine. The southern bank is gone. Crimea is cut off. The Ukrainians could loosen up their troops there or conduct amphib. By not having supporting troops on left bank, maybe the nuke reactor would be too exposed to defend. Well see. The Ukrainians blew up a few dams to defend Kiev so not the first time.
My 14th gut reaction was totally, ALIENS!!!!! i mean think about it, an explosion, water, what would russia benefit from doing this, martian technology, stolen washing machines used to power secret Uranus technology...... See once you start to connect the dot's its worth looking into comrade.
all too many at this site have "gut reactions," and perhaps time to try a brain reaction.
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