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Contradicting the latest narrative, Kiev’s officials have previously revealed their intention to destroy the dam.
Written byLucas Leiroz, journalist, researcher at the Center for Geostrategic Studies, geopolitical consultant.
On the morning of 6 June, Novaya Kakhovka’s authorities reported a rupture in the local hydroelectric plant, resulting in the flooding of large areas on the banks of the Dnieper River (Kherson oblast). The accident would have been caused by a Ukrainian attack using multiple launch missile systems, possibly supplied by the West. However, the mainstream media and the Ukrainian government insist on baselessly accusing Russia of having committed the crime.
The Ukrainian bombing took place around two o’clock in the morning. Half of the spans of the dam was destroyed, causing the water level to rise considerably in a short time. At least fourteen settlements close to the region, home to more than 22,000 people, are at high risk of total flooding. The authorities have already started evacuating the local population, having emptied around 300 buildings, but there are still dozens of people at risk in the flooded areas.
One of the biggest fears regarding the destruction of the dam is the safety of the Zaporozhye Nuclear Power Plant (ZNPP). The facility is also located on the banks of the Dnieper River and uses local water to cool its reactors – an essential procedure for nuclear security. With the change in water flow caused by the attack on the dam, ZNPP could run out of water to carry out the procedure.
In this sense, Rafael Grossi, head of the UN’s International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), stated that there has already been a “significant reduction in the level of the reservoir used to supply cooling water”. However, he makes it clear that there are alternative sources of water for the plant, so there is for now “no immediate nuclear safety risk at [the] plant.” Grossi also said the IAEA is closely monitoring the situation.
Another alarm concerns the supply of water to the Crimean oblast. The attack on the dam does not cause flooding in Crimea, but it may lead to a decrease in the water level in the Northern Crimean Canal, which is an important source of water for the region. However, for now the reservoirs remain filled to about 80% of their total capacity, so there is enough water to supply Crimea while Russian authorities try to find an alternative to avoid shortages in the future.
In fact, the circumstances of the attack are enough evidence to make it clear which side was responsible. Ukraine has maintained a constant terrorist tactic, focusing its strikes on civilian and demilitarized areas, with the sole objective of destabilizing regions outside the combat zone. Attacks against critical infrastructure are legitimate in a combat situation, but as long as the targets have military relevance, which is not the case in Kakhovka, which makes the Ukrainian move criminal.
Furthermore, it is not new that Ukraine has an interest in generating a nuclear accident in ZNPP and in provoking a humanitarian crisis in Crimea with the boycott of the water supply. Moscow denounces Ukrainian attacks against ZNPP since last year. As far as water is concerned, the supply has been blocked by the Ukrainian forces since 2014, having been fully restored only after the start of the special military operation. So, it is highly known that Ukraine wants the results of the dam attack to reach its extreme consequences, which reveals who is to blame.
However, the Ukrainian government even so denied involvement and accused the Russians – obviously without any evidence. On his social media account, Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky accused Russia of “ecocide“, citing the environmental consequences of the disaster:
“This is just one Russian war crime. Now Russia is guilty of brutal ecocide. Any comments are superfluous. The world must react. Russia is at war against life, against nature, against civilization. Russia must leave the Ukrainian land and must be held fully accountable for its terror”, he said, showing no evidence of Russia’s alleged involvement.
However, contradicting the recent words of the Ukrainian president, one of his important officials, Major General Andriy Kovalchuk, in an interview to the Washington Post last year, had already revealed that Kiev not only planned to attack Kakhovka but had even tested this type of operation, using western weapons:
“Kovalchuk considered flooding the river. The Ukrainians, he said, even conducted a test strike with a HIMARS launcher on one of the floodgates at the Nova Kakhovka dam, making three holes in the metal to see if the Dnieper’s water could be raised enough to stymie Russian crossings but not flood nearby villages. The test was a success, Kovalchuk said, but the step remained a last resort. He held off”, the article reads, leaving no doubts about Ukraine’s intentions.
It must also be remembered that, given the Russian concern with avoiding disasters in the region, one of Sergey Surovikin’s first decisions as commander of the special military operation was to order Kherson’s withdrawal. At the time, the West reported the event as a “Russian defeat” and “Ukrainian counteroffensive”, when in fact the objective was to avoid Russian casualties and prevent Ukrainian strikes from reaching the dam, causing problems for ZNPP and Crimea. The recent attack shows how correct Surovikin’s attitude was.
In addition, it is necessary to mention that in October 2022 the Russian Mission to the UN had already warned the Security Council that Kiev was planning an attack on the Kakhovka plant. UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres received a letter from Russian diplomats outlining information Moscow had obtained about Ukraine’s plans. However, no action was taken by the organization to act preventively or dissuade Kiev with coercive measures. As a result, the attack indeed happened.
With that, there seems to be no doubt about the responsible party. Once again Kiev reveals its terrorist nature. And, consequently, all Western supporters turn out to be sponsors of terrorism, as they send the weapons with which these crimes are committed.
