Environmental disaster and thousands of people to evacuate: what is known about the blowing up of the Kakhovskaya HPP by the Russians

At night, at 02:50 on June 6, Russian forces detonated the structures of the Kakhovska Hydroelectric Power Plant (HES) in the Kherson region. As a result, around 80 populated areas, including Kherson, are threatened with flooding. Authorities and volunteers have initiated the evacuation of the population from the affected areas.

In the morning, the destruction of the Kakhovska HES was reported in the operational command "Pivden". Later, it was clarified by Ukrhydroenergo that the powerhouse was irreparable from the inside.

Representatives of the Ukrainian government and the military believe that the Russians caused all this damage to slow down Ukraine's counteroffensive. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy assured that this incident will not affect the actions of the Ukrainian Defense Forces.

In total, about 80 populated areas are in the flood zone. Flooding threatens 10 villages on the right bank and parts of Kherson, particularly the Korabel district. However, a significant part of the left bank of the Dnipro River will be flooded because it has a lower bank.

The State Border Guard Service has distributed a video that shows that almost the entire HES is submerged in water. Water is gradually entering various areas in the occupied territories on the left bank of the Dnipro in the Kherson region, causing local residents to report.

In local groups in Nova Kakhovka, people report that water is gradually entering various areas of the city. At present, the houses located on the first line of the Dnipro River bank, including Dniprovska Avenue and Roboche Poselennya, are suffering the most. Communication in Nova Kakhovka is partially limited.

Communication problems are also reported in Hola Prystan, Krynychky, and Stara Zburivka. Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal stated that flooding threatens approximately 80 populated areas in the region.

"We are evacuating residents from the flood-affected areas. Currently, evacuation measures are being carried out in the Ostriv microdistrict in Kherson. Evacuation trains are being organized to Mykolaiv. We are assessing the environmental consequences and the threat to the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant. Due to the lack of access to it, such an assessment is complicated," he said.

The Prime Minister called the destruction of the Kakhovska HES a terrorist act committed by Russia, which is fully responsible for it.

"The destruction of the HES threatens an environmental catastrophe for the southern part of our country. The world must react. Immediately. But not just with words, but with actions. Russia must immediately leave the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant to avoid further catastrophe," Shmyhal emphasized.
According to him, the government at an emergency meeting has set four main tasks:

1. Organize the evacuation and placement of people in safe areas.
2. Prevent the worst-case scenario at the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant.
3. Provide the population with drinking water.
4. Assess the environmental consequences.

The head of the Kherson Regional State Administration, Oleksandr Prokudin, stated that about 16,000 people are in the critical flooding zone on the right bank of Kherson region.

"Currently, the evacuation of residents of these populated areas is organized by buses to Kherson, then to Mykolaiv, and from there to Khmelnytsky, Odesa, Kropyvnytskyi, Kyiv, and others," he said.

The Ministry of Internal Affairs reported that the residents of the right bank of Kherson are being evacuated.

"We are working. We are helping citizens in the liberated right bank part of Kherson region. We are concerned about our people who remain in the temporarily occupied left bank part of the region because life has no value for Russian terrorists," commented the situation, Ukraine's Minister of Internal Affairs Igor Klymenko.

The Ministry of Internal Affairs also added that water continues to rise and erode some roads, making it impossible to access certain populated areas. Evacuation teams are looking for alternative routes due to this.

The Ministry also reported that Russia is shelling Kherson, where evacuations are taking place.

"Two Kherson police officers received shrapnel wounds during evacuation measures in the city. Evacuation is underway; people are being evacuated. And the Russians are covering it with artillery," said the Ministry of Internal Affairs.

As of 11 AM, 885 people were evacuated from Kherson.

The President of Ukraine announced that he has ordered the evacuation of residents from areas at risk. According to him, an international and security plan was also approved during a meeting of the National Security and Defense Council to hold Russia accountable for this act.
The blowing up of the Kakhovska HES by occupiers may have negative consequences for the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, but the situation is currently under control, according to the State Enterprise "National Nuclear Energy Generating Company "Energoatom" of Ukraine. Energetics explained that water from the Kakhovska reservoir is necessary for the station to supply condenser cooling and the safety systems of the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant.

"At present, the station's cooling pond is filled: as of 8:00 AM, the water level is 16.6 meters, which is sufficient for the station's needs. Currently, the situation at the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant is under control, and the Ukrainian staff monitors all indicators," the statement said.

If the situation changes, Energoatom promised to report on the status of affairs promptly.

Energoatom's President Petro Kotin later announced during a telethon that the possibility of reducing the water level in the Kakhovska reservoir was foreseen during the construction of the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant. According to him, the current situation is within "project limits."

"We do not assess this situation as critical because the station has its cooling pond, which is separate from the Kakhovska reservoir," Kotin said.

The International Atomic Energy Agency is monitoring the situation around the Kakhovska HES dam's destruction. According to available information, there is currently no immediate risk to the safety of the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant.

World leaders have condemned the destruction of the Kakhovska HES and labeled it another act of war crimes by Russia. The European Union and individual countries have promised to provide aid to Ukraine, including food, generators, and water purification.