Ukraine dam disaster may not have been caused by Russia’s blasts but ‘poor maintenance’
The destruction of the Nova Kakhovka dam and hydroelectric power plant may have been the result of “poor maintenance” by the Russian-installed authorities and shellings sustained during the past months of conflict, it has been claimed. More than 24 hours after the Ukrainian dam was destroyed, no side of the conflict claimed responsibility for the attack. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky accused “Russian terrorists” of the action, while Moscow denied any involvement in it. While some countries have backed Ukraine’s claim Russians were behind the dam breach, the US national security council spokesperson John Kirby said Washington “cannot say conclusively” who was responsible for the disaster.
Speaking from Ukraine on Tuesday, UK Foreign Secretary James Cleverly also didn’t directly accuse Russia of the disaster, but said: “I’ve heard reports of the explosion on the dam and the risk of flooding. It’s too early to make any kind of meaningful assessment of the details.
“But it’s worth remembering that the only reason this is an issue at all is because of Russia’s unprovoked full-scale invasion of Ukraine.”
BBC journalist Vitaly Shevchenko said it may be true neither parts actively attempted to destroy the dam, as they are now both suffering consequences from the flooding in the Kherson region.
Appearing on the Ukrainecast, he argued that while the Ukrainian Government is dealing with a major catastrophe and its military strategy may have been hit by the destruction of the dam, Russia is also being impacted by the catastrophe.
He said: “It’s true that the town that seems to have borne the brunt of the damage is actually Russian-controlled Nova Kakhovka, this is where we saw swans swimming about down the street.
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“It appears that Russians are experiencing extra difficulties because of this, and Ukrainians are saying, ‘Look, if this is something done by Russia, you have made it more difficult for our troops to move, you have caused tremendous difficulties for tens of thousands of people who now need to be evacuated and are facing a possible shortage of water as well’.”
The disaster also has the potential to disrupt the water supply to Crimea, annexed by Russia in February 2014.
The dam, the journalist added, may have just given in following months of fighting taking place in the area, invaded by Russian troops shortly after the beginning of the conflict in February 2022.
He said: “There is also speculation that, because this dam had sustained significant damage over months of fighting and shelling – it was bombed by Ukrainians as well earlier – because of poor maintenance, it could have just collapsed.”
Experts had sounded alarm bells in May, after water levels in the dam reached a record high.
