Speculation has been circulating for months about the Nova Kakhovka dam on the Dnieper River: Russia accuses Ukraine of attacking infrastructure and Kiev says Moscow is undermining construction begun under Stalin. The collapse of 600 meters of the concrete wall, despite the fact that it may strictly disrupt Ukrainian military plans, does not seem to benefit either side.
What happened?
According to Kiev, who was the first to comment on what happened, the occupiers on the right bank of the river blew up the hydroelectric power station. “At 02:50 [00:50 em Lisboa], Russian terrorists carried out an internal explosion of the structures of the Kakhovka hydroelectric power station. About 80 villages are in the flood zone,” the Ukrainian president declared. Zelensky also said that Moscow should be held responsible for the “terrorist attack” to cross the Dnieper River to retake territory. of troops”.
Moscow says Ukraine sabotaged the dam to cut off water supply to Crimea and divert attention from the counter-offensive. “We can say unequivocally that we are talking about deliberate sabotage by Ukraine,” said Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov. Earlier, Vladimir Rogov of the pro-Russian government of occupied Zaporizhia said the dam had collapsed due to previous damage and water pressure. Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu suggested that Kiev wanted to move troops and equipment stationed at Kherson to other parts of the front and that widening the river downstream from the dam would make it easier to defend Kherson.
What do the Allies say?
The EU, through its Chief of Diplomacy Josep Borrell and Crisis Management Commissioner Janez Lenarcic, condemned “the Russian attacks” which “represent a new dimension of Russian atrocities”. The United States, on the other hand, was more cautious. “We can’t say for sure what happened,” National Safety Council spokesman John Kirby said.
Associated Press scientist David Helms, who has been monitoring the reservoir since the beginning of the war, said it was not clear whether the damage was intentional or simply negligence by Russian troops occupying the facility.
What are the damages?
The hydroelectric power station will have to be completely rebuilt. On the environmental side, the Ukrainian government claimed that at least 150 tons of lubricating oil had flowed into the river and that there was a risk of another 300 tons spilling out. According to Foreign Minister Dmitro Kuleba, the animals in the zoo in New Kakhovka (occupied by the Russians) died with the rising water: “This is just the beginning of the damage to the fauna in the south of Ukraine, along the Dnieper and in the Black Sea. We are witnessing ecocide on a regional scale, not just in Ukraine,” he lamented, calling on all countries and international organizations to condemn Russia.
As for the residents, authorities on both sides sent trains and buses to take the residents to safety. About 25,000 people in Russian-controlled areas and 17,000 in Ukrainian-controlled areas should be evacuated, Ukraine’s deputy prosecutor general said. There are no reports of casualties, but two Ukrainian police officers working in the evacuation area were injured by Russian artillery.
Flooding increases the risk of land mines, which can be swept from their original positions.
What are the energetic consequences?
The meltdown has no impact on the country’s power grid, as the hydropower plant has been out of operation on Ukraine’s grid since October. The power station was occupied by Russia in March 2022. However, it will lead to shortages of drinking water in the regions of Dnipro, Zaporizia and Kherson. In addition, Crimea, annexed in 2014, was 85% dependent on the dam’s water supply.
At the same time, there were immediate fears for the safety of the Zaporizh Nuclear Power Plant, which relies on stored water from the Dnieper. However, the International Atomic Energy Agency reported that “there is no immediate risk to the safety of the plant”, five of whose six reactors have been shut down for months but require water to cool. The sixth reactor is cooled with water from a reservoir located next to the plant and can therefore be supplied for “months”, according to the IAEA.
What will happen in the next few hours?
According to Kherson scientist Yevhen Korzhov, the release of 18.3 cubic kilometers of water will affect an area of 100 square kilometers. According to Ihor Syrota, the manager of the hydroelectric company Ukrhydroenergo, the peak of the rising water should be reached this morning. “After that it will start to recede in two days and we think in 10 days this water will be gone and we will see the consequences of this disaster.
Source: DN
