Satellite Captures Collapse of Major Dam in Ukraine Amid Conflict Against Russia; Floodwaters Threaten Crops, Villages

A major dam in Ukraine was breached amid the country's ongoing war against Russia. The incident was captured by satellite.

Nova Kakhovka Dam in Ukraine Collapses

Satellites observed the devastation caused by floodwaters in southern Ukraine when the Nova Kakhovka dam mysteriously collapsed in war-torn Ukraine Tuesday.

Floodwaters have been endangering harvests and villages, forcing evacuations. U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres described the situation as a massive humanitarian, economic, and ecological catastrophe. Both Russia and Ukraine are blaming each other for destroying the dam in what both describe as a "terrorist act."

Devastating images after the dam was breached were captured by a Planet SkySat satellite. The photos obtained by Space.com revealed the scale of the floods and the harm done to the Kakhovka dam along the Dnipro River.

Several private and public satellites observed the situation from Earth orbit, documenting the floodwaters that have already forced the evacuation of more than 1,000 individuals, CNN reported.

Between June 5 and 6, the Sentinel 3 satellite of the European Union, a part of the Copernicus program for Earth observation, saw the spread of floodwaters.

Based on the photo comparison from June 5 and June 6, the Dnipro River spread into the nearby farmland after the dam collapsed. Floodwaters were seen pouring over the banks of the river into southern Ukraine as seen by NASA's MODIS/Terra satellite.

Ukraine and Russia Accused Each Other Behind the Dam Collapse

Volodymyr Zelenskiy, the President of Ukraine, alleged that Russia must answer for a "terrorist attack." He claimed Russian forces attacked the Kakhovka Hydroelectric Power Station.

After an urgent conference of senior officials, Zelenskiy claimed that Russian terrorists carried out an internal detonation of the Kakhovskaya HPP structures at 02:50. He added that there were about 80 settlements in the flooding zone, Reuters reported.

According to a military spokeswoman for Ukraine, Russia wants to stop Ukrainian soldiers from attacking Russian occupiers by preventing them from crossing the Dnipro River.

Meanwhile, Russia accused Ukraine of the dam collapse. Russia claimed Ukraine did it to shut off Crimea's Crimea's water supplies and draw attention away from their sputtering counteroffensive.

According to Kremlin spokesman Peskov, it was a "deliberate sabotage" from Ukraine's side.

How Will the Dam's Collapse Affect Ukraine?

An important turning point in the ongoing conflict following Russia's invasion of Ukraine has been reached with the dam's demolition. The Ukrainian military is currently waging a significant counter offensive to recapture the area Russia has taken.

Ukrainian forces operating in the area used the Kakhovka dam as a crossing. Its demolition would make it more difficult for Ukraine to conduct operations there.

According to the Associated Press, the floodwaters may wash mines into uncharted territory, threatening residents' safety and possibly resulting in a humanitarian catastrophe.

The struggling nuclear power plant in Zaporizhzhia upstream also receives cooling water from the dam. Plant safety may be impacted in unknown ways due to the dam's collapse.

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