The place has become the center of all eyes. The Kakhovka hydroelectric dam in the Russian-occupied Kherson region of Ukraine was “damaged” following a Ukrainian attack on Sunday, regional emergency services told Russian news agencies.
“Today at 10 am (8 am GMT) six Himars missiles were launched. Air defense units shot down five of them, one of which hit the Kakhovka dam lock, which was damaged,” said a representative of the emergency services, cited. by Russian agencies.
Kyiv accused Moscow two weeks ago of having “undermined the dam”, “lies” according to the Russian occupation authorities.
Soviet era dam
A strategic issue, the Kakhovka dam, seized at the beginning of the Russian offensive in Ukraine, notably makes it possible to supply water to the Crimean peninsula, annexed in 2014 by Moscow.
Extended over the Dnieper River in 1956, during the Soviet period, the work is partly built with concrete and earth. It is one of the largest infrastructures of this kind in Ukraine.
For several days, the Russian occupation authorities have been carrying out “evacuations” of civilians in the villages near the site in the face of a “possible missile attack” on the Kakhovka dam, the destruction of which would cause “the flooding of the left bank.” of the Dnieper River, according to the Moscow-installed regional governor in Kherson, Vladimir Saldo.
If the dam bursts, “more than 80 towns, including Kherson, will be in the flash flood zone,” Volodymyr Zelensky, for his part, alarmed on October 21 before the Council of the European Union.
“It could destroy the water supply of a large part of southern Ukraine” and affect the cooling of the reactors of the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant, which draws its water from this artificial lake of 18 million cubic meters, he had warned.
Ukraine had requested an international observation mission. Kakhovka is about 60km as the crow flies east of Kherson, the first major city to fall to Russian hands in March.
Source: BFM TV
