Both sides of the river

The aftermath of the Kakhovka dam disaster from Ukrainian and Russian-held territory. In photos.

The dam at the Kakhovka Hydroelectric Power Plant, a key piece of infrastructure in the Russian-occupied part of Ukraine’s Kherson region, has been destroyed. Video shared online early Tuesday morning showed water streaming through the broken barrier. Ukraine’s Operational Command South, Kherson Governor Oleksandr Prokudin, and the Ukrainian President’s Office said that Russian forces were responsible for blowing up the critical facility.

Meanwhile, the Russian-installed “mayor” of Nova Kakhovka, Vladimir Leontyev, initially denied that there had been an explosion at all, writing: “That’s nonsense! Everything’s fine, everything’s fine everywhere, I was just in touch over the radio. Everything’s fine everywhere in the city, everything’s peaceful and quiet.”

Later, his “administration” reported that an overnight shelling attack from Ukraine had damaged the plant’s upper section, destroying the dam’s “gate valves” but leaving the dam itself intact. Leontyev accused Kyiv of “terrorism.” According to the Russian state news outlet TASS, 11 of the dam’s 28 spans were destroyed. Leontyev later said that the facility is beyond repair and will have to be rebuilt. The Ukrainian energy company Ukrhydroenergo also said that the station is not recoverable.

Left Bank – occupied by Russia

After a breach in the dam at the Kakhovka Hydroelectric Power Plant, an emergency was declared in the Kakhovka region. According to estimates by the occupation authorities of the Kherson region, 14 settlements with between 22,000 and 40,000 inhabitants are in the flood zone. According to Vladimir Saldo, the Moscow-appointed acting governor of the annexed part of Kherson region, fields that had been mined by the Russian military also went under water. Natalia Gumenyuk, head of the Ukrainian Joint Press Center of the Southern Defense Forces, warned local residents that the water could carry mines to populated areas.

On the morning of June 7, a state of emergency was declared in the entire annexed part of the Kherson region. According to the Russian-installed mayor of Nova Kakhovka, Vladimir Leontyev, at least seven people are missing in the city, and several settlements in the occupied territory have gone completely under water. Vladimir Saldo said that all affected residents of the region will be provided with financial assistance.

The right bank – controlled by Ukraine

According to Prime Minister of Ukraine Denys Shmyhal, there are 80 settlements in the Kherson region under threat of flooding. A total of about 16,000 people are in flood zones on the right bank of the Dnipro, according to local authorities.

By the evening of June 6 about 1.3 thousand local residents had been evacuated from Kherson. Rescue workers and volunteers had to evacuate people under fire: during the evacuation, Russian troops struck the Ostriv neighborhood. No one was injured.