Russian forces may blow up Kakhovka hydroelectric power plant to prevent their troops' escaping from Kherson - military expert Kyrychevskyi

He shared his opinion with Espreso TV. 

“Regarding the Kakhovka HPP, several scenarios need to be considered. Since we are dealing not with military actions, but with a typical criminal offense, which will then be classified as a military one. On the one hand, the blowing up of the Kakhovka HPP will have consequences not only for the south of Ukraine, but also for the temporarily occupied  Crimea. The Russians can activate such a scenario if they understand that they are losing Crimea,” Kyrychevskyi explained.

The expert believes that the destruction of the Kakhovka HPP will not fundamentally affect the Ukrainian troops' offensive. 

“The Russians can use another option to blow up the Kakhovka HPP dam. In particular, when they want to turn the Dnipro River into a natural barrier, which would not only delay the advance of Ukraine's Armed Forces, but also make it impossible for the Russian troops to retreat. Since theoretically it will be possible to cross certain sections of the Dnipro not only with the help of barges. Therefore, it will not be a big problem for our troops. But for the Russian troops, blowing up the Kakhovka HPP dam can stop their escape from the battlefield. This can be the main reason for undermining the dam for the Russian leadership,” he added.

• The Russian Federation may blow up the Kakhovka HPP; a breach of the dam will flood more than 80 settlements, including Kherson.

• On October 21, it became known that Defense Express analyst Serhii Zgurets is convinced that blowing up the Kakhovka HPP dam will do more harm to Russian troops on the left bank of the Dnipro River.