Russia has been accused of blowing up the Nova Kakhovka hydroelectric dam which supplies water to Europe’s largest nuclear power plant and experts are warning of “catastrophic consequences.”
Destroying the Kakhovka dam is considered to be a weapon of mass destruction and an indiscriminate war crime, and dams are protected by the laws of war and the Geneva Convention.
Mustafa Nayyem, head of State Agency for Restoration of Ukraine warned on Tuesday morning the shelling of the dam could have “catastrophic consequences” for the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, that “uses water from the Kahovka reservoir to cool nuclear reactors.”
Energoatom who oversee Ukraine’s nuclear power plants, warned the destruction would ultimately have “negative consequences.”
BREAKING:
Russia just blew up the Kakhovka dam (same size as the Hoover dam.)
The water from the Kakhovka reservoir is flowing toward the city of Kherson.
Thousands of people risk drowning and the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant is at risk.
Terrorism!pic.twitter.com/bwhyhARktL
— Visegrád 24 (@visegrad24) June 6, 2023
In a statement, Energoatom said, “Water from the Kakhovsky Reservoir is necessary for the station to receive power for turbine capacitors and safety systems of the ZNPP.”
“The station’s cooling pond is now full: as of 8:00 am, the water level is 16.6 meters, which is sufficient for the station’s needs.”
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said that “Russian terrorists” blew up the Kakhovka hydroelectric power plant dam on Tuesday morning.
this is Nova Kakhovka now, the water level has risen by 10 metres. Thousands of people will be displaced. The dam desctruction also poses a threat to the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, as it needs water to cool off its reactors. This is an ecological catastrophe pic.twitter.com/XeT7cU2zdH
— Andriy Lukin 🇺🇦 (@andriylukin) June 6, 2023
Footage shows huge wave of water surging over the dam’s barrier and hundreds of thousands of lives are now at risk which has been called “Europe’s largest technological disaster in decades.”
Dmytro Kuleba, Ukraine‘s foreign minister called the destruction of the dam a “heinous war crime.”
Kuleba wrote on Twitter, “Russia destroyed the Kakhovka dam inflicting probably Europe’s largest technological disaster in decades and putting thousands of civilians at risk.
“This is a heinous war crime. The only way to stop Russia, the greatest terrorist of the 21st century, is to kick it out of Ukraine.”
The moment that the Nova Kakhovka dam was blown up#StandWithUkraine #Ukraine #Kyiv #Crimea #Mariupol #Bakhmut #Donetsk #Melitopol #Berdyansk #Kharkiv #Kherson #Dnipro #Zaporizhzhia #Zelensky #Russia #Moscow #Putin #Kremlin #Wagner #Prigozhin #Belgorod pic.twitter.com/BRp7p6zfje
— Yuriy Dryha 🇺🇦📸 (@drigli_) June 6, 2023
In a Telegram post, Zelensky said Russia launched the attack at 2.50am. He added, “Russian terrorists carried out an internal detonation of the structures of the Kakhovka Hydroelectric Power Plant.
“It was ordered to carry out evacuation from risk areas and to provide drinking water to all cities and villages that were supplied with water from the Kakhovka Reservoir.
“We do everything to save people. All services, military, government, office are involved.”
Article 56 of the 1977 Additional Protocol I states, “Works and installations containing dangerous forces, namely dams, dykes and nuclear electrical generating stations, shall not be made the object of attack, even where these objects are military objectives, if such attack may cause the release of dangerous forces and consequent severe losses among the civilian population.
“Other military objectives located at or in the vicinity of these works or installations shall not be made the object of attack if such attack may cause the release of dangerous forces from the works or installations and consequent severe losses among the civilian population.”
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