Explosion at Kakhovka Dam raises concerns about Zaporizhia Nuclear Power Plant safety

An explosion targeting the Nova Kakhovka dam in southern Ukraine today (Tuesday), for which Kiev and Moscow accuse each other of responsibility, caused floods and raised concerns about the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant.

The Nova Kakhovka Dam, as well as the Zaporizhya Nuclear Power Plant, whose water is used to cool it, is located in the Kherson region (south), part of which is occupied by Russian forces.

After the incident, the President of the European Council, Charles Michel, confirmed today that Russia must be held accountable, saying that this amounts to a “war crime.”

However, the International Atomic Energy Agency confirmed today that there is no “simultaneous nuclear danger” at the station, explaining on Twitter that the agency’s experts at the site are closely monitoring the situation.

Plant manager Yuriy Chernychuk also wrote on Telegram: “At the moment, there is no threat to the safety of the Zaporizhia Nuclear Power Plant. The water level in the cooling basin has not changed.” He added, “The situation is under the control of the work crews.”

But the Ukrainian presidential advisor warned today that the risk of a “nuclear catastrophe” at the Zaporizhia plant is “increasing rapidly.” And the Ukrainian public company Energoatum reported that the dam’s reservoir “is supposed to remain operational during the next four days,” but its water level is rapidly decreasing, threatening the station’s safety system.

The Zaporizhia plant uses water from a river 150 kilometers away to cool the reactor core fuel.

Ukraine described Russia as a “terrorist state” in the International Court of Justice today, accusing it of destroying the dam, as part of what it said was a years-old campaign of violence.

“Today, Russia blew up a major dam in Nova Kakhovka, which caused the evacuation of civilians and severe environmental damage,” said Anton Korinievich, Ukraine’s representative to the International Court of Justice. “Russia’s actions are the actions of a terrorist state.”

Likewise, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg commented today on Twitter, saying: “The destruction of the Kakhovka Dam today endangers thousands of civilians and causes severe environmental damage. This is a disgraceful act that once again shows the brutality of Russia’s war in Ukraine.”

For its part, the pro-Moscow authorities in the Kherson region confirmed that there is no major town threatened by floods.

floods

And the Ukrainian presidency had accused Russia this morning of “exploding” the Kakhovka Dam to flood the region and slow down the attack it was preparing.

“The terrorists’ goal is clear: to put obstacles in front of the offensive actions of the Ukrainian forces,” Ukrainian presidential advisor Mykhailo Podolyak said in a message addressed to reporters, while Russia accuses Kiev of targeting the dam and partially destroying it.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky summoned the Security Council to an emergency meeting, while the head of the Ukrainian presidential administration, Andriy Yermak, denounced Moscow’s “war crime”.

For his part, Ukrainian Prime Minister Denis Shmygal called on the world to “take action”, saying that “Russia should immediately withdraw from the nuclear power plant (in Zaporizhya) to avoid a new catastrophe.”

Schmigal noted that up to 80 towns are threatened with flooding and “evacuation measures” are underway by train towards Mykolaiv. As of 09:00 GMT, 742 people had been evacuated from the Kherson region, according to Interior Minister Igor Klimenko.

And the authorities installed by Moscow in the Kherson region announced earlier today that the Kakhovka Dam was partially destroyed as a result of “several strikes” by Ukraine.

And the mayor of Nova Kakhovka, Vladimir Leontiev, wrote on Telegram that “several strikes targeted the Kakhovka Dam” during the night, stressing that it destroyed the valves of the dam’s gates and caused “an out-of-control water flow.”

“According to the emergency services, the water has risen (…) to a level of between two and four meters, which does not threaten the major towns” located below the dam along the river, said Andrei Alekseyenko, head of the Russian-installed Kherson region government.

He explained that the floods threaten the “coastal areas” in 14 towns, where “more than 22,000 people live”. He added, “We are ready, if necessary, to evacuate the residents,” noting at the same time that their lives are not in danger, and that “the situation is completely under control.”

Soon, the Russian-installed mayor of Nova Kakhovka, Vladimir Leontyev, announced the evacuation of residents from “about 300 homes” located directly on the banks of the Dnipro.

He said in statements reported by Russian news agencies: “We are in the process of evacuating” these residents, stressing that the Ukrainian forces continue their bombing operations. He added, “The city is still being targeted by missile strikes.”

This dam, which Russia seized at the beginning of its attack on Ukraine, provides water to Crimea, which Moscow annexed in 2014.

The Kakhovka Dam, built on the Dnipro River in 1956 during the Soviet era, is one of the largest infrastructures of its kind in Ukraine.

For its part, the General Staff of the Ukrainian Air Force announced that the Air Force intercepted 35 cruise missiles targeting Ukraine from the Caspian Sea last night.

The destruction of the Kakhovka Dam comes a day after Ukraine confirmed that it had made gains near the destroyed city of Bakhmut (east).