Ukraine, Russia Trade Blame for Partly Destroying Vital Dnipro River Dam

Local residents look at a partially flooded area of Kherson on June 6, 2023, following damage sustained at Kakhovka dam. The partial destruction unleashed a torrent of water that sent people fleeing flooding on the war's front line. Stringer/AFP via Getty Images

Russia and Ukraine are trading blame over the partial destruction of a hydroelectric dam on the Dnipro River, which has separated the warring sides since last November.

The dam was breached on June 6, causing widespread flooding in the Kherson region and prompting fears of a humanitarian catastrophe.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy was quick to blame the incident on “Russian terrorists.”

NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg likewise accused Russian forces of destroying the dam, which, he said, “demonstrates once again the brutality of Russia’s war in Ukraine.”

A general view of the Nova Kakhovka dam that was breached in Kherson, Ukraine, on June 6, 2023, in this screen grab taken from video. Reuters

However, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said, “We can say unequivocally that this was a deliberate act of sabotage by the Ukrainian side.”

On June 6, the Nova Kakhovka hydroelectric dam, which spans the Dnipro River in the southern Kherson region, was partially breached, causing widespread flooding in the vicinity.

Water from the Soviet-era dam is used to irrigate agricultural land in Kherson and the adjacent Black Sea region of Crimea. It’s also used to cool Europe’s largest nuclear power plant, the Zaporizhzhia nuclear facility, which is located in the neighboring region of the same name.

Homes are surrounded by flood waters in the small Ukrainian town of Demydiv on April 30, 2022. The settlement's dam was hit by Russian missiles. Nicolas Garcia/AFP via Getty Images

Russia annexed Crimea in 2014, and also currently controls most of Zaporizhzhia, along with all of Kherson east of the Dnipro.

While it’s still unclear what caused the breach, Zelenskyy wrote on Telegram that the dam’s destruction “only confirms for the whole world that they [Russians] must be expelled from every corner of Ukrainian land.”

He went on to assert that as many as 80 settlements in the area were now subject to flooding as a result of the breach.

Last November, Russian forces withdrew from all territory in Kherson west of the Dnipro. The area, including the regional capital, is now held by Ukrainian forces.

Russia Says Kyiv Attack ‘Faltering’

The Kremlin responded by blaming Kyiv for the breach, which, it said, would lead to “grave consequences”—both for the environment and local residents.

Peskov told reporters the alleged act of sabotage was aimed at depriving Russian-held Crimea of water and diverting attention from Kyiv’s foundering counteroffensive.

“This sabotage is due to the fact that, having launched large-scale offensive operations two days ago, the Ukrainian military has been unable to achieve its objectives,” he said.

Volunteer Ukrainian soldiers prepare to fire toward Russian positions close to Bakhmut, in the Donetsk region of Ukraine on March 8, 2023. Libkos/AP Photo

On the evening of June 5, Ukrainian Deputy Defense Minister Hanna Maliar denied Russian claims that an anticipated counteroffensive by Kyiv is in full swing.

Nevertheless, she conceded that Ukrainian forces were “shifting to offensive actions” in certain sectors along the roughly 600-mile front line.

Maliar wrote on Telegram that Moscow’s claims of a Ukrainian counteroffensive were meant to “divert attention” from recent Russian losses near the flashpoint city of Bakhmut.

Earlier on June 5, Moscow had claimed that its forces had repulsed a “large-scale” Ukrainian offensive carried out the previous day in the eastern Donetsk region.

According to the Russian Defense Ministry, Ukrainian forces sustained significant losses in the engagement, including 300 combat personnel, 16 tanks, and 26 armored vehicles.

‘False Information’

Kyiv, for its part, accused Moscow of disseminating “false information” regarding front-line developments.

Last month, Moscow claimed to have decisively captured Bakhmut, a key transport hub, after nine months of fighting. Kyiv, however, stated that its forces are still holding out—and even taking ground—on the city’s western outskirts.

According to Denis Pushilin, head of the pro-Russia Donetsk People’s Republic, Bakhmut remains firmly under Russian control.

But he also confirmed that the city’s outskirts were under fire by Ukrainian combat drones and artillery.

“As for the [city’s] flanks, the situation ... is difficult but under control,” Pushilin was quoted as saying by Russia’s TASS news agency on June 5.

Continued Shelling

“There aren’t any excessive [Ukrainian] actions in terms of advancing manpower, but the enemy continues shelling,” he said.

Pushilin added that over the past 48 hours, Ukrainian forces had allegedly staged two separate assaults near the town of Vuhledar, roughly 85 miles south of Bakhmut.

Both assaults were repulsed, he said, after sustaining significant losses.

The Epoch Times was unable to verify the assertions.

For the past two months, speculation has mounted that a major Ukrainian counteroffensive, ostensibly aimed at retaking lost territory, was imminent.

Kyiv, however, has repeatedly hinted that the vaunted “springtime offensive” could be postponed—depending on weather and other factors—until autumn.

Reuters contributed to this report.