By blowing up Kakhovka HPP, Russian troops are trying to delay Ukrainian offensive - military expert Zgurets

He shared his opinions with Espreso TV.

"Facilities such as nuclear power plants and hydroelectric power plants are protected by the Geneva Convention, which prohibits blowing up these facilities to achieve military objectives. The occupiers ignore any legal norms. The deliberate destruction of the Kakhovka HPP dam, which spans approximately 3.5 km, resulted in flooding. From a military perspective, the strategic value of blowing up the dam is little," Zgurets emphasized.

According to the military expert, the destruction of the Kakhovka hydroelectric power plant by Russian troops is aimed at creating a security strip that would pose challenges for the Ukrainian side to cross.

"The settlement of Oleshky, a part of the Kinburn Spit, where the enemy tried to keep their units, will be flooded. The occupying forces are attempting to minimize the potential risks of Ukrainian forces crossing the river by creating a security strip. However, these actions will not impede the progress of the Ukrainian army. The offensive operations of the Ukrainian Armed Forces in other areas will still be successful," added Zgurets.

Information available regarding the Kakhovka HPP

On February 24 of last year, Russian troops took control of the main structure of the North Crimean Canal and the Kakhovka HPP.

The Kakhovka HPP is situated approximately 5 km away from the Russian-occupied Nova Kakhovka. The Kakhovka reservoir serves as the water source for the North Crimean Canal, which has been reopened by Russian troops since the start of the invasion. The canal's water intake is conducted at the Kakhovka reservoir.

This hydroelectric power plant is the lower and last (sixth) stage in the Dnipro reservoir cascade. The hydroelectric power plant near Nova Kakhovka ensures the annual regulation of the Dnipro river flow to ensure that the southern part of Ukraine has power and water.

On October 20, 2022, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy warned that Russia was preparing to stage a new large-scale terrorist attack - to blow up the dam of the Kakhovka hydroelectric power plant in Kherson region. At the same time, he listed other consequences that could result from the explosion of the Kakhovka HPP and its dam:

• hundreds of thousands of residents in southern Ukraine are currently at risk within the danger zone and may face severe consequences as a result of the intentionally provoked flood.

• water supply to a large part of southern Ukraine and Crimea may be disrupted

• the Russian terrorist attack could potentially deprive the ZNPP of the essential water supply needed for cooling, given that the ZNPP relies on water sourced from the Kakhovka reservoir 

• the overall destructive environmental, humanitarian, and man-made consequences of such a terrorist attack would reach the scale of a "historical catastrophe"

Later, in response to Russia's preparations for a terrorist attack on the Kakhovka Hydroelectric Power Plant, Halyna Luhova, the head of the Kherson City Military Administration, directly addressed the people of Kherson. In order to ensure preparedness for a potential dam explosion at the reservoir, she released a detailed action plan outlining the necessary steps to be taken. 

• On Tuesday, June 6, Russian occupying forces blew up the Kakhovka hydroelectric power plant. As a result, the evacuation of residents from high-risk areas in the Kherson region has commenced, and the President of Ukraine has called for an emergency meeting of the Security and Defense Council, as flooding threatens 80 settlements.

• The head of the Kherson Regional Council, Oleksandr Samoilenko, said that Russian troops had blown up the dam of the Kakhovka hydroelectric power plant, and that the water would reach a critical level at around 11 am.

• Natalia Humeniuk, the head of the Joint Coordination Press Center of the Defense Forces of Southern Ukraine, has stated that Russian troops deliberately destroyed a part of the structure and are employing this man-made catastrophe as a means of exerting pressure on the Defense Forces and Ukraine as a whole. It is evident that they are no longer able to endure the anticipation of a counteroffensive from the Ukrainian side.