The Kakhovka hydroelectric power station in the Kherson region (southern Ukraine) occupied by Russian forces was “damaged” after a Ukrainian attack on Sunday (6), regional emergency services told Russian news agencies.
“Today at 10:00 (5:00 GMT) six Himars missiles were launched. Air defense units shot down five, one of which hit the lock of the Kakhovka dam, which was damaged,” said a representative of the emergency services, quoted by Russian agencies.
In recent weeks, Kyiv has accused Moscow of wanting to blow up the dam. Such a complaint was rejected by the Russian occupation authorities.
Built at the start of Russia’s offensive in Ukraine, the Kakhovka Dam supplies water to the Crimean Peninsula, annexed from Moscow in 2014.
Installed on the Dnieper River in 1956 during the Soviet era, the structure is partly made of concrete and earth.
It is one of the largest infrastructures of this type in Ukraine.
For several days, Russian occupation authorities have been evacuating civilians near the site in the face of a “possible missile attack” on the Kakhovka Dam, the destruction of which would result in “flooding of the left bank” of the Dnieper, according to Khersoninstalled Moscowbased regional governor Vladimir Saldo .
If the dam explodes, “more than 80 towns, including Kherson, will be in the flood zone,” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy warned the Council of the European Union on October 21.
“This could cut off the water supply to much of southern Ukraine” and affect the cooling of the reactors at the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant, which draws water from this 18 million cubic meter artificial lake, the head of state warned.
In view of the risk, Ukraine had requested an international observation mission.
Kakhovka is about 60 km east of Kherson, the first major city to fall into Russian hands in March.