Thousands at risk of flooding flee and 'water submerges town' after Ukrainian dam 'blown up by Russia'

6 June 2023, 12:16 | Updated: 6 June 2023, 12:18

Russia has been accused of blowing up the Nova Kakhovka dam on the Dnieper River in an attack that has sparked floods and mass evacuations of civilians in the Kherson region.

Thousands of residents living in low lying areas have been ordered to evacuate as soon as possible, with people urged to seek shelter on high ground. The dam provides water for a number of communities upstream.

At least 16,000 people are at risk from the floodwaters, a Ukrainian governor said.

Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal said that up to 80 settlements were at risk of flooding.

A state of emergency has since been declared in the Russian-occupied Nova Kakhovka district, according to Russian state-owned news agency Tass.

Ukraine's president Volodymyr Zelenskyy said his government is doing "all we can to save people" and that he had ordered an evacuation.

Ukraine described the destruction as an act of terror carried out by Russia, saying the dam was blown up "from inside" at 2.50am local time.

Moscow accused Kyiv of sabotage. Neither claim has been verified at this stage.

Ukraine accuses Russia of destroying major dam and warns of widespread flooding

In a video posted to Telegram on Tuesday Oleksandr Prokudin, the head of the Kherson Regional Military Administration, said "the Russian army has committed yet another act of terror" and the water would reach critical levels within hours.

Ukraine and Russia have previously accused each other of targeting the dam with attacks and in October, Mr Zelenskyy predicted Russia would destroy the dam in order to cause a flood.

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President Zelenskyy wrote on Telegram on Tuesday: "Russian terrorists. The destruction of the Kakhovka hydroelectric power plant dam only confirms for the whole world that they must be expelled from every corner of Ukrainian land.

"Not a single meter should be left to them, because they use every meter for terror.

"It’s only Ukraine's victory that will return security. And this victory will come. The terrorists will not be able to stop Ukraine with water, missiles or anything else.

Andriy Yermak, the head of President Zelenskyy's administration, said that the destruction was an attempt to "raise the stakes" in Russia's full-scale invasion while also stoking fears of a nuclear catastrophe.

"Today, the world must...understand that this is an attempt by terrorists to raise the stakes and scare everyone with a possible nuclear disaster," he wrote.

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"All services are working. I have convened the National Security and Defense Council. Please spread official and verified information only."

The Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant (ZNPP) relies on water from the dam to cool its nuclear reactors. The situation there is currently said to be under control.

Water floods out after dam in Kherson is shelled by Russian forces

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) says it is monitoring the situation closely.

But Ukraine's state-owned energy company Ukrhydroenergo said the Kakhovka Hydroelectric Power Plant was "beyond repair".

Energoatom, Ukraine's state nuclear energy generating company, said in a statement: "The undermining of the Kakhovska hydroelectric power plant may have negative consequences for the ZNPP, but the situation is under control.

"On the night of 6 June 2023, the Russian invaders blew up the dam of the Kakhovska HPP [plant]. As a result of the detonation, the water level in the Kakhovskyy reservoir is rapidly decreasing, which is an additional threat to the temporarily occupied Zaporizhzhia NPP.

"Water from the Kakhovsky reservoir is necessary for the station to receive power for turbine capacitors and safety systems of the ZNPP. The station's cooling pond is now full.

"As of 08:00, the water level is 16.6 metres, which is sufficient for the station's needs."

Meanwhile, the head of the notorious Wagner mercenary group has shut down claims from the Russian defence ministry that it had killed 1,500 Ukrainian soldiers in two days as "absurd science fiction".

Early on Monday, the Russian defence ministry said it had held off a major offensive in South Donetsk, and made a similar claim once again in the evening, alleging a second attack.

But Yevgeny Prigozhin was quick to question the claims online, having already been very critical of senior officials in the Kremlin, Russian Army and Vladimir Putin himself for missteps in the war.

Russia said it had killed 1,500 troops and destroyed among other military equipment, eight main battle Leopard tanks supplied to Ukraine by its Western allies and 109 armoured vehicles.

But Prigozhin argued that to kill that many Ukrainian troops would require daily gains of 150km (93 miles).

"I therefore believe that this is simply wild and absurd science fiction," he said on the Telegram channel of his press service.

He sarcastically added: "We have already destroyed the entire planet five times over."

The Russian defence ministry originally claimed on Telegram: "Having suffered heavy losses the day before, the Kyiv regime reorganised the remnants of the 23rd and 31st mechanised brigades into separate consolidated units, which continued offensive operations.

"A complex fire defeat was inflicted by army forces, assault and operational-tactical aviation, missile forces and artillery, as well as heavy flamethrower systems."

Responding to the clash, the British Ministry of Defence said in its latest update: "The feud between Wagner Group and the Russian MoD has reached an unprecedented level.

"For the first time, Wagner owner Yevgeny Prigozhin has claimed that the army has employed deliberate, lethal force against Wagner units. Following an altercation, Wagner has likely detained a Russian army brigade commander.

"Most of Wagner's forces have now been withdrawn from Bakhmut. With Russia short of reserve units, the degree to which Wagner remains responsive to the MoD will be a key factor in the conflict over the coming weeks."

Ukraine has launched a series of assaults on Russian lines in its occupied eastern parts in recent days.

A counter attack in Bakhmut, the city Russia recently declared victory in after losing high numbers of men, is said to be under way.

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy hailed the forward moves in Bakhmut - where the Wagner group has spent months fighting on behalf of the Kremlin - in his latest evening address.

"I am grateful to each of our soldiers, to all our defenders, men and women, who have given us today the news have been waiting for. Well done, soldiers in the Bakhmut sector," he said.

Ukraine's Minister of Defense: Yesterday's Ukrainian offensive in Donetsk made it a 'successful'

Speaking on Tonight with Andrew Marr on Monday, Ukrainian Ministry of Defence adviser Yuriy Sak said: "Today, I think apart from the Ukrainian minister of defence and Ukrainian general staff, I think almost everybody has said that the counter offensive has begun.

"One thing we are confident in after almost 15 months of this aggressive and brutal war, this genocide against our people, is that if you want to win a war you need to be fighting a smart war.

"And if you're fighting a smart war, you keep your mouth shut and you use the element of surprise as part of your strategy for success."