Russia tried to stop Ukrainian offensive by destroying Kakhovka HPP, but failed – AFU General Staff

Oleksiy Hromov, head of the Main Operational Directorate of the General Staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, shared the information in an interview with Ukrinform.

"By destroying the Kakhovka hydroelectric power plant, the invading Russian forces intended to stop the offensive of our troops, but achieved the opposite effect. The wave from the dam, among other things, washed away the first defense line of the occupiers along the left bank of the Dnipro River. And from a purely military point of view, this crime could not have led to the destruction of our plans," the general said.

The Ukrainian Armed Forces have sufficiently trained units equipped with modern weapons and military equipment, including those for crossing water obstacles. Gradually, Ukrainian soldiers are fulfilling the task of liberating the entire country from the occupying forces.

"It is worth noting that Russian invaders blowing up this hydroelectric facility is a crime and a terrorist act that has led to a man-made disaster in the center of modern Europe. Significant damage was done to the environment and ecosystem, a huge number of farms, houses, and businesses were destroyed, and people living in the southern part of our country suffered a bitter tragedy," Hromov emphasized.

The Kakhovka dam destruction

Kakhovka HPP had been occupied by Russians since February 24, 2022.

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.

Later, the head of the Kherson City Military Administration, Halyna Luhova, addressed the people of Kherson in connection with Russia's preparation of a terrorist attack on the Kakhovka HPP. She published an algorithm of actions to be taken in case the dam is blown up at the reservoir.

On Tuesday, June 6, 2023, the Russian occupation forces blew up the Kakhovka HPP, completely destroying it. Evacuation of residents of dangerous areas of Kherson region began, and the President of Ukraine convened an emergency meeting of the Security and Defense Council.

Ukraine’s Energoatom nuclear operator stated that this could have negative consequences for ZNPP, but the situation is under control.

Instead, Natalia Humeniuk, head of the Joint Coordination Press Center of the Southern Defense Forces, believes that Russia is trying to play another man-made blackmail card to put pressure on Ukraine.

The US is closely studying the evidence in the case of the Kakhovka hydroelectric power plant explosion.

On June 28, a report from the General Staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces stated that Russian troops had taken measures to improve the sanitary and epidemiological situation in some settlements of the Kherson region that came under their control after the destruction of the Kakhovka hydroelectric power plant and the outbreak of viral diseases. They forced public utility workers to clear the rubble and collect corpses.

Between June 24 and 25, more than 60 bodies were discovered, but the Russian occupying forces concealed the true number of victims. The dead were buried in mass graves without DNA testing or proper memorials.