UKRAINE: THE SITUATION 470 - JUNE 6, 2023

The damage to the dam of the Kakhovka Hydroelectric Power Plant (KHPP) in the early hours of June 6 resulted in massive flooding of the Dnipro River delta, wetlands, river mouths, and coastal settlements in the Kherson Oblast.

Russian and Ukrainian sources reported loud noises resembling explosions originating from the KHPP (on the other side of the Dnipro in the Nova Kakhovka area, about 55 km northeast of Kherson City) between 0200 and 0230 local time on June 6, followed by reports of rushing water and a general rise in the water level of the Dnipro. The Ukrainian administration of the Kherson Oblast announced the evacuation of several districts on the western (right) bank of the Kherson Oblast from 7:30 local time and reported that the areas of Tsihanka, Odradokamianka, Beryslav, Ivanyvka, Mykilske, Tokariivka, Poniativka, Bilozerka, and Ostryv were partially or completely flooded. Officials from the Russian occupation authority of the Kherson Oblast announced the evacuation of the areas of Nova Kakhovka, Hola Prystan, and Oleshky. Ukrainian officials noted that over 80 settlements are located in the flood zone of the Kherson Oblast.

The general director of the Ukrainian hydroelectric power plant operator Ukrhydroenergo, Ihor Syrota, explains that water from the Kakhovka reservoir is flowing at a rate of 15-20 cm per hour, meaning that the reservoir will be completely dry in the next four days, according to Syrota. A researcher from the Ukrainian Department of Water Bioresources at the Agrarian and Economic University of the Kherson Oblast, Yevhen Korshov, notes that the speed of water discharge from the dam could lead to flooding all the way down to Kizomys, about 120 km southwest of the KHPP. A Russian military blogger claimed that the water level in Nova Kakhovka, in close proximity to the KHPP, was up to 11 meters high. Various Russian sources also point to images showing several settlements on the eastern (left) bank, including Oleshky, Korsunka, and Dnipryany, being partially or almost entirely submerged in water.

The full Russian Offensive Update 470 is available directly from UNDERSTANDING WAR.

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