An “ecological catastrophe” is said to be imminent in Ukraine following an explosion at the site of a major dam with flooding sparking nuclear disaster fears.
The dam over the Dnieper River forms the Kakhovka hydroelectric power station and was blown up at around 2am this morning.
Concerningly, it also acts as the cooling system for the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant in the Russian-held region of Ukraine.
Kremlin sources blamed Ukraine for mining the dam, although there has been no official confirmation, and people living in ten villages and the city of Kherson, were told to evacuate.
Moscow-appointed official Vladimir Leontyev, head of the occupation administration in Novokakhovka district of Kherson region, confirmed the upper part of the dam was destroyed.
After initially denying an explosion, he said: “At about 2am, numerous strikes were carried out on the Kakhovka hydroelectric power station.
“As a result, water from the Kakhovka reservoir began to uncontrollably be discharged downstream.”
Water from the Kakhovka reservoir on the Dnieper River also supplies Crimea, annexed by Russia.
But Ukraine accused Russian forces of blowing up the southern dam, alerting those living along the Dnieper River to evacuate.
The interior ministry wrote on messaging app Telegram that the Kakhovka dam had been damaged, calling on people in 10 villages down river and parts of the city of Kherson to leave their homes.
Ukraine’s southern military command HQ said: “The Russian occupation troops mined the Kakhovka hydroelectric station.
“Currently specifying the scale of destruction, speed and amount of water, likely areas of flooding.
“All the services are working. The situation is being monitored.”
The dam was built in the 1950s under Soviet rule.
A Ukrainian warning was issued to residents on the left-bank of the Dniper to “evacuate as soon as possible,” amid concerns for their safety.
The warning read: As a result of mining of the dam, there is an increase in the water level downstream.
“Water can reach a critical level in six hours.”
Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky predicted last October Russian would destroy the dam in order to cause a flood.
In an evening address, he warned: "Russian terror will be directed at energy facilities."
He added the government was "working on the creation of mobile power supply points for critical infrastructure in cities and villages."
He went on to call for an emergency meeting of the country's security and defence council, according to its secretary Oleksiy Danilov.
In a video posted to Telegram on Tuesday Oleksandr Prokudin, the head of the Kherson Regional Military Administration, said “the Russian army has committed yet another act of terror,” and warned that water will reach “critical levels” within five hours.
In February, water levels were so low many feared a meltdown at the Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, whose cooling systems are supplied with water.
Earlier this month it was reported Vladimir Putin thought “lazy” NATO would give up on Ukraine, the alliance’s chief claimed today.
Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg railed against the Russian tyrant following a meeting of coalition foreign ministers in Oslo.
Mr Stoltenberg said: “I believe in Moscow they think democracies are lazy, that we are not ready to stand by Ukraine for as long as it takes - and we are going to prove the opposite by demonstrating that democracies are actually able to stand up for their values and be there when they are needed to defend democracy and freedom, as we do when we support Ukraine.”
