Ukraine and EU blame Russia for Kakhovka HPP explosion. Russia blames Ukraine

The act of sabotage at the Kakhovka Hydroelectric Power Plant is connected with the "unsuccessful offensive” of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, as well as the intention of the Ukrainian authorities to cut Crimea from water supplies, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov believes.

"We can announce now for sure that it was a deliberate act of sabotage that was committed by the Ukrainian side. This sabotage act could potentially lead to very serious consequences for tens of thousands of local residents, let alone environmental consequences that have yet to be established," Peskov said.

According to him, the sabotage at the Kakhovka Hydroelectric Power Plant is connected with the "unsuccessful offensive” of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. The Armed Forces of Ukraine are not achieving their goals now, Peskov said. "They are choking up on their offensive actions,” he added.

The actions of the Ukrainian side can also be explained by the intention to cut the Crimean Peninsula from fresh water supplies. The water level in the reservoir is declining along with the water flow to the North Crimean Canal, Peskov concluded.

Moscow strongly denies allegations of Russia's involvement in the shelling of the Kakhovka Hydroelectric Power Plant, the official said.

• President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky accused Russia of exploding the structures of the dam from the inside. According to Zelensky, it was an act of terrorism.
• Charles Michel, the head of the European Council, also blamed Russia and said that "Russia and its puppets" would be brought to justice."
• British Foreign Secretary James Cleverley said that it was too early to assess the situation around the destruction of the Kakhovka Hydroelectric Power Plant, but it took place because it was Russia that started the hostilities, he said.

The dam of the Kakhovka Hydroelectric Power Plant was destroyed in the morning of June 6. The dam is located along the Dnieper River above the level of the city of Kherson. Novaya Kakhovka Mayor Volodymyr Leontiev said the dam was destroyed as a result of numerous attacks that the Ukrainian forces had conducted over a long period of time.

Volodymyr Saldo, acting head of the Kherson region, also said that the Armed Forces of Ukraine had previously attacked the water gates of the Kakhovka HPP in order to flood the territory of the region. In November 2022, Leontiev spoke of "major damage" to the station. Saldo then said that the HPP had stopped generating electricity.

Great Construction of Communism

The Kakhovka Hydroelectric Power Plant is the sixth (lower and last) stage of the cascade of Dnieper hydroelectric power plants. It is located at a distance of five kilometres from the town of Novaya Kakhovka. The total capacity of the HPP is 334.8 MW. The dam is 447 meters long, its maximum capacity is 21,400 cubic meters. m/s. The city of Kherson, as well as other smaller settlements are located downstream the Dnieper River.

The decision to build the Kakhovka Hydroelectric Power Plant was made in 1950. The HPP is one of the Great Constructions of Communism. It was pictured on a postage stamp during the times of the USSR. The town of Nova Kakhovka was built for the construction and maintenance of the power plant. The first hydroelectric unit was launched in 1955. The last, sixth hydroelectric unit was put into operation in 1956. In 1959, the Kakhovka HPP was put into commercial operation with a capacity of 312 MW.