Kherson is between fire and water. Why is Chongar back on the agenda?

All this could be a Hollywood thriller, but this is another episode of genocide organized by the Russian Federation. 

The first thing we need to understand after this tragedy is that our enemy has signed for absolute worthlessness in a military sense. To take such a step, to commit such an act of terror and genocide, is in fact an admission that you have nothing to control even the most coveted trophy on the territory of Ukraine - the stolen Crimean peninsula.

When Putin commented last week on Moscow's attack with drones of unknown origin, he hinted at the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant. So it is likely that it was a test mode - at the Kakhovka HPP. 

Another is the warning of such an act by the Russians from last fall. On the eve of the liberation of Kherson, on October 20, 2022, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy warned of such intentions. Therefore, when the question of what to do with the captured Left Bank of the Kherson region and whether it was possible to hold it before the counteroffensive of Ukrainian forces arose, explosives were used. 

Blowing up the Kakhovka hydroelectric power station

Photo: Reuters

If we talk in monetary terms, Russia has caused us an additional $1 billion in damage. This is only the cost of the dam. And how much it will cost us in terms of damage to the environment, the agricultural market, and the overall economic situation of the victims - this is something that Denys Shmyhal's government has to calculate here and now.

Photo: Getty Images

Photo: Reuters

"As for the military aspect, I fully share the opinion voiced by several NATO military experts and our own - the dam's blowing up does not cancel the Ukrainian counteroffensive. It can delay it for several weeks"

As for the military aspect, I fully share the opinion voiced by several NATO military experts and our own - the dam's blowing up does not cancel the Ukrainian counteroffensive. It can delay it for several weeks. It is this time in the hot days of June that is needed for the swamp to dry out somewhat. And also for our intelligence to be able to look at new locations for pontoon bridges. It is until then that the Russian flank is somewhat protected from a Ukrainian attack. But the act of intimidation of Ukrainians did a good deed against the Russians themselves - their trenches were flooded, and the occupiers' many months of work to strengthen the Dnipro Left Bank was washed away. 

However, this is not a reason for optimism. In fact, our extraordinary efforts, economic losses, and the losses of our people who will be forcing the Dnipro River in these areas are the consequences of the first days of the war. When the Ukrainian South was not ready enough to deter a giant military force from Crimea. When the terrorist defenses of Kherson and Zaporizhzhia were simply not prepared for such tumultuous events - although there was no shortage of men willing to defend their cities. These are also the bitter fruits of unpunished separatists and collaborators Saldo and Balytsky, who called for the "Russian world" back in 2014. And after February 24, 2022, they became the first to become gauleiters in the occupied cities.

"The Kakhovka hydropower plant tragedy has raised trigger questions again: "Who cleared Chongar of mines?" and "Why was the South invaded so quickly?" No matter how much the government's positive bloggers try to smooth over the sharp edges, these questions are at the top of people's minds when it comes to what has shocked them the most at this stage of the war"

The Kakhovka hydropower plant tragedy has raised trigger questions again: "Who cleared Chongar of mines?" and "Why was the South invaded so quickly?" No matter how much the government's positive bloggers try to smooth over the sharp edges, these questions are at the top of people's minds when it comes to what has shocked them the most at this stage of the war. The latest poll by the Razumkov Center and the Democracy Foundation shows that 32% of people say that the lightning-fast seizure of Kherson, Melitopol, and then Mariupol was the biggest shock. 

So no matter how much our official authorities want to avoid answering the question: "Why did the South fall so quickly?" will always stab them in the ribs. 

If we are talking about Chongar, where the main occupation forces came from, I would like to hear an adequate comment from the former head of the Security Service of Ukraine Ivan Bakanov. What happened there? After all, it was his friend, protege and real Russian agent Oleh Kulinich who decided to conduct "anti-terrorist exercises" in the south of Kherson region shortly before the invasion. "They were not agreed with the leadership of the SBU's anti-terrorist center, which was headed by Major General Ruslan Baranetsky," the new SBU chief Vasyl Malyuk admits in an interview with Natalka Moseychuk. 

I would like to hear a sane explanation from the Minister of Reintegration of the Occupied Territories, Iryna Vereshchuk, as to why she was given shuttles from Kalanchak and Chongar. And didn't this grand opening on February 14, 2022, become fatal for millions who woke up under occupation?

"I would like to hear a sane explanation from the Minister of Reintegration of the Occupied Territories, Iryna Vereshchuk, as to why she was given shuttles from Kalanchak and Chongar. And didn't this grand opening on February 14, 2022, become fatal for millions who woke up under occupation?"

I would also like to hear which areas of the frontline Ukraine has demined after the reckless promise of the head of the Office of the President of Ukraine, Andriy Yermak, to "protect people on both sides from a huge number of deadly mines." I would like to know which 20 agreed-upon sites were those.

And what was the decision of May 2020 to get rid of a huge number of anti-personnel mines worth? These very valuable munitions, which we destroyed to the delight of OSCE experts, could have significantly improved the weather in Mariupol, Bakhmut or Vuhledar. 

There is another story about how our government treated the Armed Forces of Ukraine a few years before a major invasion. Until the last day, the priority was roads, not weapons and ammunition for soldiers.

So let's face it - the 59th Separate Motorized Infantry Brigade, the 137th Separate Marine Battalion and our artillery, which were responsible for the Chongar section, fought like lions. But when you have a conscious Russian agent behind you, who gave away the location of all the S-300s, and a trained 30,000-strong strike force with a great "leverage" for air strikes and an astronomical advantage in artillery fire, you get what you get. When the infantilization of politicians has triggered a bloody domino effect for millions. 

When you treat your borders in a disrespectful manner and do not want to feed your own army, a stranger comes. He destroys your life, kills your people. And then you need to triple your efforts to knock him out. 

Therefore, it is more important than ever to ask the question "What happened at Chongar?" To never mislead people who are now crossing the Dnipro under artillery fire again.

Specially for Espreso

About the author. Maryna Danyliuk-Yarmolaieva, journalist

The editors do not always share the opinions expressed by the authors of the blogs.