The Ternivska Dam at the Kurakhove Reservoir in Ukraine’s Donetsk region was reportedly blown up on Monday, according to both Russian and Ukrainian sources. At least one Ukrainian channel wrote that water is flooding nearby villages, though this has yet to be confirmed with photos or videos.
Emergency services sources told the Ukrainian publication News of Donbas that Kurakhove came under shelling around 9:00 a.m. local time, which allegedly led to the dam’s destruction. The publication noted that the water level in the Vovcha River has risen by one meter so far.
It’s still unclear who’s responsible for the dam’s destruction. Russian pro-Kremlin bloggers Yury Kotenok and Boris Rozhin, as well as Ukrainian journalist Andriy Tsaplienko, speculated that Ukrainian forces may have blown up the dam to slow Russia’s advance on Kurakhove. However, the downstream villages along the Vovcha River, which could face flooding, are under Ukrainian control and serve as key supply routes for the Kurakhove garrison. Russian troops are pressing forward along the reservoir’s northern shore.
Roman Padun, head of the Kurakhove City Military Administration, told the Ukrainian outlet Suspilne that authorities are aware of the rising water levels in nearby villages. “We cannot confirm the extent or critical nature of the damage. We are unable to inspect the dam due to ongoing shelling,” Padun said.
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