Russian soldiers confirm that Russian sabotage group intentionally destroyed Kakhovka dam – audio intercept
Russian soldiers were overheard confirming that the Kakhovka dam in Kherson Oblast was intentionally destroyed by a Russian sabotage group, according to an intercept of their phone conversation released by Ukraine’s SBU security service on June 9.
The audio intercept shows the Russians wanted to blackmail Ukraine by destroying the dam and staging a man-made disaster in the south.
One of the invaders blames Ukraine for destroying the Kakhovka Hydroelectric Power Plant (HPP), saying that now the Zaporizhzhya Nuclear Power Plant (ZNPP), which require water from the Kakhovka reservoir to cool its reactors, is “done.”
“They (the Ukrainians) didn’t blow it up,” another invader answered.
“It was our sabotage group. They (Russian military) wanted to use the dam to frighten them (the Ukrainians). It didn’t go as planned, but more than they (had) planned.”
The Kakhovka HPP was destroyed by the 205th motorized rifle brigade of the Russian occupation army, said Ukraine’s National Security and Defense Council secretary, Oleksiy Danilov. He is convinced the decision about the terrorist attack was made directly by Putin, himself.
The Russian invaders blew up the Kakhovka HPP to prevent the Armed Forces of Ukraine from launching a counter-offensive in the Kherson area, Danilov added.
“I want to say that, first of all, the Russians did this for a military purpose so that we would not launch a counteroffensive in the Kherson area,” the official told Ukrainian Radio on June 8.
“Although, I think, today it is clear that we had completely different plans.”
When the Russians were preparing this terrorist act, they did not calculate the consequences that would follow this destruction, Danilov stressed.
“What they did, when a certain amount of time passes, when we can calculate everything that happened there, believe me, the consequences for our country will be terrible, but they will be simply catastrophic for the Russians,” he said.
Danilov emphasized the Russians would be responsible for all this.
“And those people in the Kremlin who gave the order to destroy the dam will be held responsible for it,” he said.
“Including performers.”
Explosion at Kakhovka HPP – what is known
During the night of June 6, Russian forces blew up the Kakhovka Hydroelectric Power Station dam, triggering widespread flooding and posing a grave threat to downstream cities and towns along the Dnipro River. The floodwaters were expected to peak around noon Kyiv time (GMT+3) on June 6, prompting the Kherson Oblast Military Administration to declare an urgent evacuation.
Ukraine’s state hydroelectric company Ukrhydroenergo said the Kakhovka HPP has been completely destroyed and cannot be repaired. The dam itself was only partially – but significantly – damaged, the South Military Command said.
At an urgent meeting of the National Security and Defense Council, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy ordered the evacuation of at-risk areas and the provision of drinking water to towns and villages served by the affected Kakhovka water reservoir.
The evacuation of citizens in the affected areas on the right (western) bank of the Dnipro River has been ongoing throughout the night. Meanwhile, a humanitarian disaster is underway on the left bank, which is under Russian occupation and suffered a great deal more due to its lower elevation.
The Ukrainian Prosecutor General’s Office has opened an investigation on the incident under the charge of ecocide. Ukraine has applied to the International Criminal Court over the dam breach.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called Russia’s attack on the Kakhovka HPP the largest man-made environmental disaster in Europe in decades.
Ukraine’s Defense Intelligence has said that the Russian demolition of the Kakhovka HPP increases the threat of a nuclear disaster.
At least eight people have died because of the flood in the Russian-occupied town of Oleshky in Kherson Oblast, reported mayor Yevhen Ryshchyk.
As of early June 9, as many as 3,624 houses were flooded in 32 settlements of Kherson Oblast. A total of 2,352 civilians and 550 animals have been evacuated from the affected areas.
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