Published
Article written by
Volodymyr Zelensky, the Ukrainian president, accuses Russia of having mined the hydroelectric power station of Kakhovka, in Ukraine, with the aim of flooding the whole area.
It is a highly strategic hydroelectric dam located in Kakhovka (Ukraine). It supplies water to a large part of southern Ukraine. The Russians seized it at the start of their offensive. Sunday, October 23, Ukraine accuses them of having mined the installations with the aim of flooding the Kherson region. Around the dam, residents are evacuated by boat by pro-Russian forces as fighting intensifies in the area.
“The water level will rise several meters at the beginning. The wave could be 60 meters”, assures an evacuated resident. According to Volodymyr Zelensky, the Ukrainian president, 80 localities could quickly be submerged by the giant wave if the dam were destroyed. The floods could stop the Ukrainian counter-offensive but also affect the cooling of the reactors of the Zaporijia nuclear power plant, which draws its water from the artificial lake of the dam. The Russians would nevertheless have a lot to lose because the infrastructures supply water to the Crimea which they have annexed.