Kakhovka Dam Blown Away; Russia & Ukraine Blame Each Other While Water Floods Out

A large Soviet-era dam in Russian-controlled southern Ukraine was blown away on Tuesday. Both Russian and Ukrainian forces confirmed the news. But both sides blamed each other for this devastation. A huge amount of water has started to flow out of the reservoir of the dam.

Unverified videos of blasts around the Kakhovka dam and water surging out of it have started making rounds on social media.

Ukraine’s military said that Russian forces blew up the dam. “The Kakhovka (dam) was blown up by the Russian occupying forces,” the South command of Ukraine’s Armed Forces said on Tuesday on its Facebook page.

Russian news agencies said the dam, controlled by Russian forces, had been destroyed in shelling by Ukraine.

The Kakhovka dam is 30 metres high and 3.2 km long. It was built in 1956 on the Dnipro River for a hydroelectricity project. It has an 18 square kilometer reservoir. This area is now under Russia.