INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
A Russian-controlled dam near the frontline that supplies southern Ukraine and annexed Crimea with drinking water was significantly damaged
torrent of water that flooded a small city and two dozen villages, sparking the evacuation of 17,000 people.Both Russia and Ukraine blame
each other for the attack.Here's what we know about the incident and its wider consequences for the war:Why is the Kakhovka dam
important?The 3.3-kilometer-long dam on the Dnipro River was captured by Russian forces at the beginning of their February 2022 invasion.The
dam held back a massive reservoir that is a strategic water source for southern Ukraine's Kherson region and the Russian-annexed Crimean
peninsula, and flooding could potentially block Ukrainian forces seeking to regain lost territory.The damage has increased fears of a
have implications for Ukrainian forces' anticipated counteroffensive to reclaim territories captured by Russia during its 15-month
invasion.What do Ukraine and Russia say?Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has blamed Russia for the dam collapse and summoned an
emergency national security council session."The world must react," he said on social media, adding that Russia had carried out "an internal
explosion of the structures" of the plant at 2:50 a.m
local time."This is just one Russian act of terrorism
This is just one Russian war crime," he added, accusing Russia of committing an act of "ecocide.""Russia is at war with life, with nature,
with civilization," he added
"Russia must leave Ukrainian land and must be held fully accountable for its terror."The Palace of Culture in the flood-stricken town of
Nova Kakhovka.Alexei Konovalov / TASSUkraine's hydroelectricity operator said that the power station linked to the Kakhovka dam had also
The hydraulic structure is being washed away," Ihor Syrota, the head of Ukrhydroenergo, said on television.The Kremlin meanwhile accused
the war between Russia and Ukraine?News of the damage came after Russia claimed Ukraine had started its long-awaited
counteroffensive.Ukraine said that Russia's goal was to "create obstacles" for Kyiv's offensive to retake territory from Moscow's
forces seeking to regain lost territory
Russia denied the claim.However, military bloggers were divided over the flooding's implications for Ukrainian forces' anticipated
counteroffensive to reclaim territories captured by Russia during its 15-month invasion.Rescuers in flooded Kherson.State Emergency Service
Conflict Intelligence Team which investigates the Russian military.How will the local population and the environment be impacted?Russia,
which controls the left bank of the Dnipro River, said over 22,000 residents in 14 areas were in potential flood zones but there was no risk
of flooding for major population centers.About 16,000 people are in a critical flood zone, according to Ukrainian officials.Vladimir
Leontyev, the Russian-installed mayor of the town of Nova Kakhovka where the dam is located, said residents of "around 300 homes" had been
evacuated.Ukraine warned of a potential "ecocide" after 150 tons of engine oil spilled into the river as a result of the attack.The Nova
Kakhovka zoo, which housed some 260 animals, was one of the first areas to flood
Nearly all the animals at another zoological garden, Kazkova Dibrova, died after they were unable to escape the flooding, the UAnimals
animal rights group said.In addition to the flooding, the dam collapse raised fears of a nuclear incident as the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power
"closely monitoring the situation" but that there was "no immediate nuclear safety risk at the plant."The Russian-installed director of the
plant, Yuri Chernichuk, echoed the UN agency and said that "at the moment, there is no security threat to the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power
plant.""The water level in the cooling pond has not changed," he said, adding that the "situation was controlled by personnel."An evacuee at
the Kherson railway station.t.me/mostksChernichuk said the water cooling system was not in direct contact with the outside environment and
reservoir was "rapidly decreasing, which is an additional threat to the temporarily occupied Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant."It said it
was "monitoring the situation" and that the cooling plant's current pond water level was "sufficient for the power plant's needs."
