Ukraine accuses Russia of blowing up the dam from within, a deliberate war crime. Russian-appointed officials gave conflicting accounts of the event, with some blaming the cause on Ukrainian bombing, while others said the dam collapsed on its own.
Neither side has yet presented public evidence to prove their accusation. The Geneva Conventions expressly prohibit the targeting of roadblocks in times of war because of their danger to civilians.
Torrents and displacements Before noon, the quay of a tributary of the Dnipro was already flooded in the city of Kherson, in the region controlled by the Ukrainian government. “Our school was flooded”, says Lydia Zubova, 67, who was waiting for a train to leave the city after leaving his flooded village of Antonivka. And our stadium is in the city center (…) The road was completely flooded and our bus broke down.”
And Ukrainian police released video of an officer carrying an elderly woman to safety and others rescuing dogs in villages abandoned by authorities as water levels rose. Interior Minister Ihor Klimenko accused Russia of bombing the evacuation zones and said two police officers were injured.
On the Russian side of the Dnipro, the Moscow-appointed mayor of Nova Kakhovka said the water level had risen to 11 meters.
Residents told Reuters by telephone that some had decided to stay even though the Russian occupiers had been ordered out.
One person wrote on the Kazkova Dibrova Zoo Facebook page saying the Russian-controlled riverside zoo was completely flooded and all 300 animals were dead.
A Russian-appointed regional official said on Tuesday that the small town of Oleshki on the Russian-controlled bank of the Dnipro was almost completely submerged.
Preparing for a counterattack The destruction of the dam creates a new humanitarian crisis in the war zone and shifts the front lines, as Ukraine prepares for a long-awaited counterattack to drive Russian forces from its territory .
Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said his forces foiled the attack in its first three days, in fighting that left more than 3,700 Ukrainians dead or injured.
Ukraine denied the Russian statements as lies, but gave no details of the attacks.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in an interview published on Saturday that Ukraine was preparing to launch its long-talked about major counter-offensive using newly supplied Western battle tanks and armored vehicles.
Russia has controlled the dam since the start of the war, although Ukrainian forces retook the northern bank of the river last year. The two sides traded accusations of planning to destroy the dam.
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