The Nova Kakhovka dam in Russian-occupied southern Ukraine was destroyed on June 6, prompting mass evacuations and fears of large-scale devastation as Kyiv accused Moscow’s forces of committing an act of "ecocide."
Destruction Of Major Dam In Ukraine Unleashes Floodwaters As Authorities Begin Evacuation
A satellite image shows the Nova Kakhovka dam on June 5. The dam and hydroelectric power station in a part of southern Ukraine that Russia controls had been repeatedly targeted as both sides traded accusations, blaming each other for the shelling.
A closer view from June 5 shows the damaged dam on the Dnieper River, roughly 30 kilometers east of the city of Kherson.
Drone footage captures water as it runs through a breakthrough in the Kakhovka dam on June 6. Kyiv accused Russian forces of blowing up the dam and called it a form of "ecocide."
Russian officials countered that the Nova Kakhovka dam was destroyed by Ukrainian military strikes.
Reports on social media are showing parts of Kherson flooded by the rising waters. Kyiv has ordered people living downstream to evacuate in the face of catastrophic flooding.
The destruction of the dam effectively cuts off Crimea from access to fresh water.
A satellite image shows the Nova Kakhovka dam and the surrounding Kherson region on October 18, 2022.
Worst-case modelling following the destruction of the dam predicted that flooding would take place on the left (southeast) side of the river bank. A 4-to-5-meter wave would hit the Antonivskiy Bridge east of Kherson city about 19 hours later, there would be a back swell flooding up the Inhulets River, and after four or five days there would be some flooding up the Bug River to Mykolayiv.
Floodwaters reach the center of Nova Kakhovka. The Russian-installed mayor of the town said that the water had risen by 10 meters and will increase further.
The community center in Nova Kakhovka as floodwaters continue to rise.
A man sits on a bench outside his building on the outskirt of Kherson as the floodwater rises.