Footage of the Habakuka Dam after it was blown up (Twitter)
Tens of thousands of people in Ukraine are facing evacuation from their homes following the dam explosion in Kherson Oblast, and the United Nations warns of "serious and far-reaching consequences" for residents of the region. The Kakhovka Dam collapsed on Sunday morning, and has since flooded nearby areas on the front lines of fighting between Russian and Ukrainian forces, who blame each other for the disaster.
Ukrainian authorities warn that flooding will peak Wednesday morning, while mass evacuations from Kherson continue under shelling by Russian forces, which have killed at least one person. Satellite images revealed the enormous damage to the province, which is partially controlled by both sides. In the city of Kherson, which Ukrainians recaptured in November, the port and local industrial zone were flooded.
Residents evacuate their homes after a dam explosion in Kherson city, Ukraine June 07, 2023 (Photo: Reuters)
Residents evacuate their homes after a dam explosion in Kherson city, Ukraine June 07, 2023 (Photo: Reuters)
Lyudmila, a resident of the city who was packing her belongings for her evacuation, said: "We are afraid of flooding, we are taking our things to a higher place." She called for the "expulsion" of Russian forces from the area.
"They're shooting at us. They overwhelm us or do something else," she said. Russian forces remained in control of the southern bank of the Dnipro River after withdrawing from the city of Kherson, which they have continued shelling ever since. Yesterday, two Ukrainian policemen were injured in Russian shelling while evacuating local residents.
Another resident, who gave his name as Andrei, said he believed Russian forces wanted to "sink" his city, which is near a dam that the Russians seized when the invasion began in February last year.
Residents evacuate their homes after a dam explosion in Kherson city, Ukraine June 07, 2023 (Photo: Reuters)
In part of the Russian-controlled Kherson region, authorities declared a state of emergency even though water levels in the town of Nova Kakhovka began to drop this morning. Yesterday, footage was released showing the nearby town of Olszki completely flooded.
Kyiv says the dam hit is a Russian "terrorist attack" and should be sanctioned, while the Kremlin said Ukraine wanted to cut water supplies to Crimea and create a distraction from the "failure" of its counteroffensive. The United States said it could not yet determine with certainty who was to blame for the dam explosion.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who convened an emergency meeting following the developments, said Russian forces blew up the dam from the inside overnight. About 80 towns and villages are at risk from the flooding, he said, adding that the government and authorities are doing "everything we can to save lives." He confirmed that those living in the "danger zones" had been asked to evacuate as soon as possible.
The dam was built by the Soviets in 1956 and was 30 meters high and 3.2 km long. It was built on the Dnipro River as part of the Kakhovka hydroelectric power station. Its reservoir supplied both Crimea, which Russia annexed in 2014, and the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, also under Russian control.
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