A small village north of Kyiv defied the advance of Russian troops. Residents left their homes and opened the floodgates of a dam that flooded the region.
Satellite images show the village of Demydiv, 46km north of Kyiv, before and after the deliberate flooding.
The first record from the American company Maxar Technologies, which specializes in satellites, shows that the Demydiv area was still dry on February 28, four days after the Russian invasion.
New images released by the company on March 22 show the village was “on an island” and roads and bridges in the area were flooded.
Registration dated February 28, 2022
1 of 6 Image shows the area of northern Kyiv before the flood — Photo Courtesy Satellite Image ©2022 Maxar Technologies
The image shows the area of northern Kyiv before the flood — Photo Courtesy Satellite Image ©2022 Maxar Technologies
Registration from March 22, 2022
2 of 6 Image shows northern Kiev area after flooding — Photo Courtesy Satellite Image ©2022 Maxar Technologies
Image shows area of northern Kyiv after flooding — Photo Courtesy Satellite Image ©2022 Maxar Technologies
On March 19, social media records showed several images of this small underwater village of about 2,400 people.
The deputy mayor of the Kyiv Oblast as the entire region of the Ukrainian capital is called Konstantin Usov even accused the Russians of breaching the dam.
“In the Kyiv region, invaders destroyed a dam protecting villages from flooding,” Usov wrote on his Telegram channel on March 19.
“As a result, the village of Demydiv and the shores of the Kiev Sea are almost completely submerged, and several other locations are under threat.”
Russia denies attacks on civilian infrastructure.
3 of 6 Photo from April 18, 2020 of the village of Demydiv — Photo: Playback/Twitter/Kyrylo Loukerenko
Photo from April 18, 2020 from the village of Demydiv — Photo: Playback/Twitter/Kyrylo Loukerenko
BEFORE and AFTER floods in northern Kiev — Photo: Courtesy Satellite Image ©2022 Maxar Technologies
Despite the official Ukrainian speech accusing the Russians of the floods in northern Kiev, war analysts warned as early as March that the measure could be part of the defense strategy.
In a report, Business Insider pointed out that the Demydiv flood could have been caused to block the advance of Russian troops towards the capital, Kyiv.
“It is unclear what caused the flooding, but this may be a strategic move by Ukraine,” the publication wrote on March 23.
Analysts polled by The Washington Post also agreed with the hypothesis of a war strategy they called “hydraulic warfare” to stop the Russian advance.
Registration dated February 28, 2022
4 of 6 Image shows northern Kyiv area before flooding — Photo Courtesy Satellite Image ©2022 Maxar Technologies
The image shows the area of northern Kyiv before the flood — Photo Courtesy Satellite Image ©2022 Maxar Technologies
Registration from March 22, 2022
5 of 6 Image shows northern Kiev area after flooding — Photo Courtesy Satellite Image ©2022 Maxar Technologies
Image shows area of northern Kyiv after flooding — Photo Courtesy Satellite Image ©2022 Maxar Technologies
A report this week in the American newspaper The New York Times confirmed the hypothesis put forward by analysts only last month: the floods were caused by the Ukrainians themselves.
With reporters on the ground, the publication interviewed residents returning to their homes and attempting to recover what was lost underwater.
The feeling, the reporters say, is one of victory. By creating a swamp along the way, the Ukrainians thwarted a Russian tank attack on Kyiv and gave Ukraine more time to prepare defenses.
“We saved Kyiv!” pensioner Antonina Kostuchenko told American journalists.
6 of 6 Photo from April 18, 2020 of the village of Demydiv — Photo: Playback/Twitter/Kyrylo Loukerenko
Photo from April 18, 2020 from the village of Demydiv — Photo: Playback/Twitter/Kyrylo Loukerenko