How to explain the destruction of the Kakhovka hydroelectric dam? While Moscow and Kiev blame each other, the floods in the Kherson and Mykolaiv regions have killed at least 13 people: eight in areas under Russian occupation, and five in those under Ukrainian control. Let's take a look back at the last known elements around the origin of this partial destruction.
An explosion before the destruction of the dam
Without settling the debate, the Norwegian seismology institute Norsar said it had detected an "explosion" when the dam failed. This announcement reinforces the idea that the dam, located in an area under Russian control, has not failed due to damage sustained during bombing in recent months.
"We are certain there was an explosion," said Ben Dando, a Norrar section chief. According to the independent seismological research institute, the blast occurred at 2:54 a.m. local time, at a site whose coordinates match that of the Kakhovka Dam on the Dnieper River.
Its magnitude is "between 1 and 2," said Norsar, which has not yet calculated its equivalent in tons of TNT, which requires many factors to be factored in. "This is not a small explosion," the official added.
Looking to Russia
For his part, the head of EU diplomacy, Josep Borrell, said Friday that "everything seemed to indicate" that Russia was behind the partial destruction of the dam. "The dam was not bombed. It was destroyed by explosives installed in the areas where the turbines are located," he told Spanish public television.
"I wasn't there to find out who did it. But everything seems to indicate that, if it took place in an area under Russian control, it is difficult that it could have been someone else," he continued. "In any case, the consequences for Ukraine are terrible: from the humanitarian point of view for the displaced people, from the environmental point of view, because the destruction will cause an ecological disaster," Borrell insisted.
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Moscow slams 'barbaric' act by Kiev
Questioned by Kiev, Russia continues to deny any responsibility, and claims that it is a "barbaric" act committed by the Ukrainians. On Thursday, a Russian representative repeated these accusations before the International Court of Justice (ICJ). "Ukraine said that Russia blew up the large dam located in Nova Kakhovka. In fact, it was Ukraine that did it," Russian Ambassador to the Netherlands Alexander Shulgin told the court.
VIDEO. Explosion on a hydroelectric dam in Ukraine: villages flooded and evacuated
According to the Ukrainian government, 2,339 people were evacuated from the flooded area, where 32 localities were submerged. On the Russian occupation side, "5,000 people" have been evacuated, Vladimir Saldo, an official of the local Russian administration, said on Telegram. More than 20,000 consumers are still without electricity, according to Ukraine's Energy Ministry, which has asked Europe to provide more electricity.