”Critical situation” in Nova Kakhovka. The Russians blew up a dam on the Dnieper

The Russians blew up a dam on the Dnieper in Nowa Kakhovka. “Within five hours, the water will reach a critical level,” Oleksandr Prokudin, the head of the Kherson regional administration, said in the morning. Videos have appeared on social media showing how much water flooded m.in. the center of Nova Kakhovka.

Nova Kakhovka. Evacuation of the city

Authorities in occupied Nova Kakhovka in southern Ukraine announced the evacuation of about 300 homes in connection with the Russians blowing up a dam on the Dnieper River, Reuters reported.

The head of the occupation authorities, Vladimir Leontiev, said that electricity had been cut off in part of the city for security reasons.

Ukrainian state railways announced that an evacuation train would depart from Kherson on Tuesday at noon. Further trains may be diverted for evacuation if necessary, the railways declared.

Reuters reports, however, that half of the spans of the dam in Nowa Kachówka are destroyed, and the structure is still collapsing.

As Oleksandr Prokudin added, the evacuation of residents from flood-prone areas has already begun. Almost the entire hydroelectric power plant in Kachowka has been under water.

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Videos posted on social media include: the flooded center of Nova Kakhovka.

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Anton Hershchenko, adviser to the head of the Ukrainian Ministry of Internal Affairs, published a recording showing a house carried by the current of the swollen Dnieper.

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The Russians blew up a dam on the Dnieper River in Nova Kakhovka in the Russian-occupied part of the Kherson region in southern Ukraine, the Armed Forces of Ukraine said. Pro-Russian authorities in the occupied territories warn that the destruction of the dam could lead to problems with the water supply to the annexed Crimea.

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The Russians blame Ukraine for the attack. The TASS agency, citing the services, reported that the attack was carried out using the “Alder” missile launcher, which is at the disposal of the Ukrainian army.

DAMAGE IN NOVA KACHOWKA. CONSEQUENCES FOR THE ZAPOROZHIA NUCLEAR POWER PLANT

The destruction of the Kakhovka dam by Russian forces in southern Ukraine poses a threat to the Zaporozhye nuclear power plant, but the situation at the facility is under control, Ukraine's state Atomic Energy Agency Energoatom said on Tuesday.

“Water from the Kakhovka reservoir is necessary for the station to power the turbine condensers and ZNPP security systems” Energoatom said in a statement on Telegram.

“At the moment, the station's cooling pond is full: as of 8:00 a.m., the water level is 16.6 meters, which is sufficient for the needs of the station,” it said.

The situation is now under control and staff are monitoring all indicators, it added.