Global InformationDestruction of the Kakhovka Dam information
| Destruction of the Kakhovka Dam | |
|---|---|
| Part of the Dnieper campaign of the Russian invasion of Ukraine | |
 Flooding downstream from the dam | |
| Location | Kakhovka Hydroelectric Power Plant, Kherson Oblast, Ukraine |
| Coordinates | 46°46′40″N 33°22′13″E / 46.77778°N 33.37028°E |
| Date | 6 June 2023 between 02:00 and 02:54 (UTC+3) |
Attack type | Dam breaching |
| Weapons | Unknown |
| Deaths | 59 reported by Russian authorities[1][2][3]
Between 200 and 300 in Oleshky according to local health workers[1] |
| Perpetrators | Disputed; Russia is blamed by most experts[a] |
The Kakhovka Dam in Ukraine was breached in the early hours of 6 June 2023,[4][5][6] causing extensive flooding along the lower Dnieper river, also called the Dnipro, in Kherson Oblast. The dam was under the control of the Russian military, which had seized it in the early days of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.[7] Many experts have concluded that Russian forces likely blew up a segment of the dam to hinder the planned Ukrainian counter-offensive.[8][9] Russian authorities have denied the accusation.
The dam was about 30 m (98 ft) tall and 3.2 km (2 mi) long;[10] the breached segment was about 85 m (279 ft) long.[11] Two days after the breach, the average level of flooding in the Kherson region was 5.61 m (18.4 ft), according to local officials.[12][13]
There were signs of an explosion at the time of the breach. Both Ukrainian and Russian sources reported hearing blasts from the dam's hydroelectric power station,[4][5] regional seismometers detected explosions in the area,[6][9] and a satellite detected the infrared heat signature of an explosion.[14]
Water levels in the Kakhovka Reservoir, controlled by Russia, had been rising for months and were at a 30-year high when the dam failed.[15] Thousands of residents downstream were evacuated, and floods submerged several villages in Ukrainian- and Russian-controlled areas. By 21 June, 58 people were reported to have been killed and 31 were missing.[2][3] Russian authorities officially report that 59 people drowned in total, but local health workers and a volunteer grave digger from Oleshky have told The Associated Press that the death toll was in the hundreds from that city alone, with shallow mass graves dug for the victims. According to the informants, reporting of deaths in Oleshky was hampered by interference from police beginning June 12, by relocation of bodies and by extortion of families of survivors and coercion of health care workers to misreport causes of death on death certificates, which could not be written in Ukrainian language in Russian-occupied territory or conveyed to Ukrainian authorities.[1] Flooding killed many animals and damaged farmland, homes, businesses, and infrastructure. The loss of water from the reservoir could threaten the long-term water supply to Russian-controlled Crimea and the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, but there was no immediate risk to either.
- ^ a b c Kullab, Samya; Novikov, Illia (28 December 2023). "Russia covered up and undercounted true human cost of floodings after dam explosion, AP investigation finds". The Associated Press. Retrieved 20 March 2024.
- ^ a b "Russia rejects U.N. help as death toll from breached dam rises". Reuters. 19 June 2023. Retrieved 20 March 2024.
- ^ a b "Russian official says breach of Kakhovka dam in Ukraine killed 41". Al-Arabiya. 21 June 2023. Retrieved 20 March 2024.
- ^ a b Cite error: The named reference
ISW_6June2023was invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ a b Cite error: The named reference
Insider_NovaKakhovka_residentswas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ a b Cite error: The named reference
NORSAR_seismic_signalswas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Sabbagh, Dan; Borger, Julian (6 June 2023). "Thousands flee homes as collapse of dam is blamed on Russian forces". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 6 June 2023. Retrieved 6 June 2023.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
NYT_internal_blastwas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ a b Cite error: The named reference
The New York Times 2023 u549was invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ "Diagram: Ukraine's Kakhovka Hydrolectric Power Plant". RadioFreeEurope/RadioLiberty. 6 June 2023. Archived from the original on 10 June 2023. Retrieved 10 June 2023.
- ^ Ivana Kottasová, Gianluca Mezzofiore (8 June 2023). "Here are the key theories on what caused Ukraine's catastrophic dam collapse". CNN. Retrieved 24 June 2023.
- ^ "The Kakhovka Dam disaster: Responsibility and consequences". Wilson Center. 14 June 2023. Retrieved 14 June 2023.
- ^ "Очільник Херсонської ОВА: Середній рівень підтоплення на ранок - 5,6 метра. Евакуйовано майже дві тисячі людей". Зеркало недели (in Ukrainian). 8 June 2023. Retrieved 14 June 2023.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
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