It is located on the southern side, now under Russian control. The Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, Europe's largest, gets its cooling water from the reservoir. Most of that water is used for agriculture, some for the Black Sea peninsula's industries, and around one fifth for drinking water and other public needs. The destruction of the dam risks lowering the water level of the Soviet-era North Crimean Canal, which has traditionally supplied Crimea with 85% of its water needs. About 80 communities were threatened by flooding. Ukrainian officials estimated about 42,000 people were at risk from the flooding, which is expected to peak on Wednesday, including some 25,000 in Russia-held parts. Maxar said that satellite images of more than 2,500 square km (965 square miles) between Nova Kakhovka and the Dniprovska Gulf southwest of Kherson city on the Black Sea, showed numerous towns and villages flooded. Evacuations of civilians began on both sides of the front line. With water levels surging higher, many thousands of people are likely to be affected. Russia's state news agency TASS carried a report to the same effect. Vladimir Rogov, a Russian installed official in Zaporizhzhia, said the dam collapsed due to earlier damage and the pressure of the water. "We can state unequivocally that we are talking about deliberate sabotage by the Ukrainian side," Kremlin Spokesman Peskov told reporters.Įarlier some Russian-installed officials said no attack had taken place. ![]() Russia said Ukraine sabotaged the dam to cut off water supplies to Crimea and to distract attention from its faltering counteroffensive. ![]() The reservoir also supplies water to the Crimean peninsula, which Russia annexed in 2014, and to the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant, which is also under Russian control. The reservoir holds 18 cubic kilometres (4.3 cubic miles) of water - a volume roughly equal to the Great Salt Lake in the U.S. The dam bridged the Dnipro River, which forms the front line between Russian and Ukrainian forces in the south of Ukraine.Ĭreation of the 2,155 sq km (832 sq mile) Kakhovka reservoir in Soviet times forced around 37,000 people to be moved from their homes. Construction was started under Soviet leader Josef Stalin and finished under Nikita Khrushchev. The dam, part of the Kakhovka hydroelectric power plant, is 30 metres (98 feet) tall and 3.2 km (2 miles) long. What is the dam, what happened - and what do we not know? Ukraine said Russia had destroyed it, while Russia said Ukraine sabotaged it to cut off water supplies to Crimea and distract attention from a "faltering" counter-offensive. ![]() June 7 (Reuters) - A huge Soviet-era dam on the Dnipro River that separates Russian and Ukrainian forces in southern Ukraine was breached on Tuesday, unleashing floodwaters across the war zone.
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