Concerns are growing in Ukraine that Russian invaders could blow up a dam in the south of the country. That would have catastrophic consequences for the inhabitants of the disputed Kherson region. According to a Ukrainian media report, military trucks with explosives were parked on the dam. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Thursday that Russia was preparing “the next terrorist attack” (see video above). Moscow denies the charges.
Ukrainian broadcaster Hromadske reported on Twitter, citing intelligence, that two Russian Kamaz military trucks with boxes full of explosives had been placed on the dam. Russian soldiers would now mine the locks and supports of the hydroelectric power station. According to this information, troops loyal to Moscow began mining the Kakhovka dam and the hydroelectric power station on the Dnipro River as early as April.
Blasting would flood Kherson
Dozens of villages and the town of Kherson itself would be flooded if the dam were destroyed. The scale of the ecological disaster would be much greater and would affect the entire Black Sea region. Selenskyj compared a possible explosion to the use of weapons of mass destruction. To avoid disaster, dMeanwhile, Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal called on the UN and the European Union to send an international observer mission to the Kakhovka hydroelectric plant.
Kherson’s Moscow-appointed administrator dismisses allegations that Russia is planning a demolition plan. The Supreme Commander of Russia’s Armed Forces in Ukraine, Sergey Surovikin, said on Tuesday that Ukraine was preparing an attack on the dam. He also warned of disaster.
Water supply for Crimea
The 30 meters high and more than three kilometers wide Kakhovka Dam was built in 1956 and is under Russian control. The reservoir supplies the occupied Zaporizhzhya nuclear power plant with cooling water and is of major importance for the water supply of the Crimean peninsula, which was annexed by Russia in 2014. Selenskyj referred to this in his speech on Thursday: An explosion would be a recognition by Russia that it cannot hold the peninsula, he said.
Control of Kherson gives Russia a land link with Crimea. According to its own statements, the Ukrainian armed forces have been on their offensive against Russian forces in the region for weeks. Recently there was heavy fighting in the Beryslav district.
Tens of thousands have to leave the area
Kherson is one of the four regions annexed by Russia at the end of September, along with Luhansk, Donetsk and Zaporizhia. The annexation is not internationally recognized. In view of the Ukrainian advance, Russia has called on the inhabitants of the city to get to safety. Up to 60,000 people are to be brought to Russia in the coming days. Moscow speaks of “evacuations”, Ukraine of “deportations”.
Source: Krone
I’m Wayne Wickman, a professional journalist and author for Today Times Live. My specialty is covering global news and current events, offering readers a unique perspective on the world’s most pressing issues. I’m passionate about storytelling and helping people stay informed on the goings-on of our planet.
