First the city of Cherson, now apparently Nowa Kachowka: The Russian occupiers are retreating from further south-eastern Ukraine. There is growing concern that the dam in Nowa Kachowka could be destroyed – with devastating consequences.
After the troop withdrawal from the right bank of the Dnipro River in the southern Ukrainian region of Cherson, the Russian occupiers have now also announced that they will evacuate the dam town of Nowa Kakhovka on the other side of the river. The administration of Kakhovka is withdrawing to a safe place together with the citizens of the city, the local crew chief Pavel Filipchuk said in a speech to the population, according to the Russian state news agency TASS. He called on people in a defined zone of 15 kilometers to leave their homes.
It is feared that the dam could be destroyed by shelling and the area could be flooded. For weeks, Russians and Ukrainians have been accusing each other of planning such a provocation. Ukrainian forces have identified the administration of Kakhovka as the “number one target for a terrorist attack” in the region, Filipchuk claimed.
The lives of the people are in danger from fighting, said crew chief Filipchuk. The people were to be taken to the southern Russian region of Krasnodar and cared for there. Filipchuk promised the fugitives warm accommodation, regular meals and 100,000 rubles, the equivalent of around 1,600 euros, in help. Ukraine accuses the occupiers of kidnapping people.
Ukraine also rejects alleged intentions to sabotage the dam at the Kakhovka hydroelectric power plant. Rather, Kyiv accuses the Russian armed forces of wanting to destroy it. Accordingly, Russia has mined the dam. President Volodymyr Zelenskyj has already warned of a “large-scale catastrophe”. In the event of a dam bursting, hundreds of thousands of people on the Dnipro River would be in danger. The cooling system at the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant could also be affected by an interrupted water supply, he warned.
According to local reports, Ukrainian units had already advanced to the small town of Beryslav near the dam. On Friday, Russia declared the announced withdrawal from the western bank of the Dnipro River to be complete. Accordingly, the Russian soldiers withdrew to the area east of the river. In Cherson itself, the Ukrainian liberators were celebrated by the remaining residents.
