By: Richard Zhao

Right before the Kakhova Hydroelectric Dam gave away on June 6, seismic sensors in Ukraine detected telltale signs of large explosions taking place.

The dam was built during the cold war and was designed to be resistant to attacks from the outside in anticipation of possible fighting with the West.. However, the dam has a weak point; there is a passway running through a concrete block at the base of the dam. Evidence suggests that an explosive charge went off in this passageway.

After the explosion, both sides of the Russo-Ukrainian war are blaming each other for the collapse. Assigning responsibility is tricky however, the dam was already damaged from fighting months before the breach. Ukrainian strikes caused damage to part of the road over the dam, and retreating Russian troops damaged another part of the road with explosives. Russia listed these reasons as possible causes of the dam’s collapse in an effort to deny responsibility.

Despite previously sustained damage, satellite and seismic detection suggest that there was an explosive planted in the gallery, or passageway, under the dam. Although erosion and natural causes could have caused the collapse, engineers investigating the issue explained that this was unlikely as the ultimate cause. “I do not want my theory to be correct,” Mr. Strelets, an engineer, lamented. However, the evidence does point toward the deliberate destruction of the dam.

Those living close to the dam immediately felt the effects of the collapse. As the water surged forward, the town was flooded. “We live on the fourth floor, so it didn’t reach our apartment, but the first floor was completely flooded,” said Vasyl, who lives in the Russian-occupied east bank town of Hola Prystan, about 60 miles from the dam. Others, however, were not as lucky as Vasyl, who found shelter.

While many younger Ukrainians have already fled the Russian occupation, the elderly people, many with disabilities, remain. In the flood, they could not leave the house or climb to the roof, and so many drowned. The death toll is currently unknown, but officials say the number is expected to rise as the flood continues. Considering the extent of the dam’s collapse, engineers say that the damage would be near irreparable.

Source:

https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2023/06/16/world/europe/ukraine-kakhovka-dam-collapse.html