Ukraine’s military has accused Russia of destroying a major dam in the occupied region of Kherson in southern Ukraine.
Residents of Kherson have been warned of the high risk of flooding, with concerns growing for the fate of Europe’s largest nuclear power plant in Zaporizhzhia. At least eight different settlements in the region have already flooded and citizens in the region are being evacuated from the area.
Around 16,000 people are set to be in danger as a result of the damage to the hydroelectric facility. Water flowing down the Dnipro River is likely to cause massive flooding throughout the region.
Kherson’s regional governor Oleksandr Prokudin warned on Telegram that water levels in the Dnipro will reach “critical” levels within the next five hours. He appealed to Ukrainians on both sides of the Dnipro to evacuate their homes.
Ukrainian officials are particularly concerned about the fate of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant (ZNPP), which relies on cooling water from the dam to cool its nuclear reactors. The nuclear power plant, the largest in Europe, has been repeatedly shelled during the war. Russian forces maintain large amounts of military hardware at the site.
In a statement on Twitter, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) assured that it was “monitoring the situation” at the power plant and that there was “no immediate nuclear safety risk at the plant.” Aerial footage shared by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy shows extensive damage to the dam.
It isn’t immediately clear what caused the blast at the dam, but Ukraine has blamed Russia of deliberately blowing the dam.
It is possible that Ukrainian forces may have used the road along the top of the dam to launch an offensive across the Dnipro river into occupied Kherson.
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In a post on Twitter, Charles Michel, President of the European Council, denounced the attack stating that “the destruction of civilian infrastructure clearly qualifies as a war crime.” The EU is set to propose aid to areas affected by flooding as a result of the attack.
Russian occupying forces have denied responsibility for the attack, also claiming that only part of the dam was damaged by shelling.
