UKRAINE WAR: Front shortened – destroyed dam significantly relieves pressure on Putin's army | WELT

Russia and Ukraine blamed each other on Tuesday for the destruction of the Kakhovka Dam. Ukraine accused Russian invading troops of blowing up the dam during the night. Russia attributed the destruction to Ukrainian shelling. The warring parties sought to evacuate residents in the region and warned of flooding. Experts said the flooding could reach nearly 100 towns and villages. Both Russian and Ukrainian authorities provided trains and buses to evacuate people from the danger zone. According to official figures, about 22,000 people live in Russian-controlled regions and 16,000 in Ukrainian areas. Neither side reported any deaths or injuries. It was unclear whether either side would benefit from the destruction of the dam in the Kherson region: The incident could hamper the Ukrainian counteroffensive in the south of the country, while Russia relies on the dam to supply water to the occupied Crimean peninsula. The Russian government blamed Ukraine for the destruction of the dam. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Tuesday that it was a deliberate act of sabotage by Ukraine. The aim was to disrupt the water supply to Crimea. Ukraine accused Russian invading troops of blowing up the dam. "The Russian army has committed another act of terror," wrote Oleksandr Prokudin, governor of the military administration in Kherson, on Telegram this morning. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy convened a meeting of his Security Council. He announced that Russian forces had triggered an explosion inside the dam at 2:50 a.m. The incident was also condemned internationally, including by German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg. Stoltenberg said the outrageous act once again demonstrated the brutality of Russia's war in Ukraine. Patricia Lewis, head of the International Security Program at the Chatham House think tank in London, said it was difficult to determine responsibility, but added: "There are all sorts of reasons why Russia would do this." There were already reports last fall that the Russians had mined the reservoir. "The question we should be asking is why the Ukrainians would do this to themselves." The dam had long been considered dilapidated. Retired US scientist David Helms, who has been monitoring the reservoir since the beginning of the war, said it was unclear whether the damage was intentional or caused by neglect by Russian troops. Helms, however, declined to make a final judgment, pointing out that Russian troops have also attacked dams in the past. The dam on the Dnipro River was destroyed overnight into Tuesday. The operator of the local hydroelectric power plant, Ukrhydroenerho, said the facility could not be repaired. According to a Ukrainian non-governmental organization, the destruction could flood nearly 100 towns and villages. The World Data Center for Geoinformatics and Sustainable Development reported that the water masses would only drain away after about five to seven days. According to the Ukraine War Environmental Consequences Working Group, which assesses the potential consequences of the war, parts of the left bank of the river could be washed away, northern Crimea could no longer receive water, and the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant could possibly run out of cooling water. The nuclear power plant operator Enerhoatom stated that the situation is currently under control. Both sides warned of an impending environmental catastrophe. According to the Ukrainian presidential office, about 150 tons of oil leaked, and another 300 tons could still enter the environment. #ukraine #war #weltnetzreporter Subscribe to the WELT Netzreporter Channel    / dienetzreporter   WELT News Channel    / weltvideotv   WELT DOKU Channel    / weltdoku   WELT Podcast Channel    / weltpodcast   The WELT News Livestream http://bit.ly/2fwuMPg The top news on WELT.de http://bit.ly/2rQQD9Q The media library on WELT.de http://bit.ly/2Iydxv8 WELT News Channel on Instagram https://bit.ly/IGWELTTV WELT on Instagram http://bit.ly/2X1M7Hk On a personal note: Due to the high volume of irrelevant and offensive posts, we are currently unable to accept any more comments. Thank you for your understanding - the WELT team This video was created in 2023