Ukraine and Russia Blame Each Other for Partly Destroying Vital Dnipro River Dam
Moscow and Kyiv 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 the morning of 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.”
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 is 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. The settlement’s dam was hit by Russian missiles, on April 30, 2022. (Nicolas Garcia/AFP via Getty Images)Russia annexed Crimea in 2014. It also currently controls most of Zaporizhzhia, along with all of Kherson east of the Dnipro.
Although it remains 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.”
Zelenskyy 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 distracting attention from Kyiv’s foundering counter-offensive.
“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.
Following recent Russian claims that a major Ukrainian assault was repulsed in Donetsk, it remains unclear whether Kyiv’s long-awaited counter-offensive has begun in earnest.
On the evening of June 5, Ukrainian Deputy Defense Minister Hanna Maliar denied Russian claims that Kyiv’s anticipated counter-offensive was now in full swing.
Nevertheless, she conceded that Ukrainian forces were “shifting to offensive actions” in certain sectors along the roughly 600-mile frontline.
Writing on Telegram, Maliar said Moscow’s claims of a Ukrainian counter-offensive were meant to “divert attention” from recent Russian losses near the flashpoint city of Bakhmut.
Earlier on June 5, Moscow had claimed 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 frontline developments.
Last month, Moscow claimed to have decisively captured Bakhmut, a key transport hub, after nine months of fighting. Kyiv, however, says 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 (Artyomovsk in Russian) 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 counter-offensive, 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.
