Ukrainian security services said they intercepted a call proving that a Russian "sabotage group" destroyed the Kakhovka hydroelectric dam.
On June 9, the Ukrainian Security Service (SBU) posted an audio clip, approximately one and a half minutes long, on Telegram, claiming it was a conversation between Russian soldiers about the collapse of the Kakhovka dam in Kherson province.
"They (Ukraine) didn't attack it (the Kakhovka dam). It was our sabotage group that caused it. Our side wanted to attack to intimidate, but things didn't go as planned. It caused more damage than they anticipated," a man said on the call.
The other man expressed surprise at the information the other man had provided.
An area in the city of Nova Kakhovka was flooded on June 7 after the Kakhovka dam broke. Photo: Reuters
The SBU did not provide further details about the phone call or specifically identify the two individuals. The agency stated that it has opened an investigation into "war crimes" and "ecological destruction" in connection with the Kakhovka dam collapse.
"The attackers wanted to blackmail Ukraine by blowing up the dam and creating a catastrophe in the south," the SBU statement said.
Russia has not responded to the information, but has repeatedly accused Ukraine of being responsible for the collapse of the Kakhovka dam. Russian President Putin called the Kakhovka dam collapse a barbaric act, causing an environmental and humanitarian disaster. Moscow has also called for an international investigation into the dam failure.
The Kakhovka hydroelectric dam on the Dnieper River, in the Russian-controlled Kherson province, broke on June 6, causing water from the reservoir to flood downstream, submerging many residential areas, villages, and some urban areas along the river.
Lake Kakhovka has a capacity of approximately 18 billion cubic meters and provides cooling water for the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant and the Crimean Canal. The Kakhovka Dam was built by the Soviet Union between 1950 and 1956.
Location of the Kakhovka hydroelectric dam. Graphic: DW
Ngoc Anh (According to Reuters )
Source link
Comment (0)