DISINFO: Footage of Kakhovka dam destruction proves the Ukrainians did it
SUMMARY
[I]t is impossible for the US not to know what happened [at the Kakhovka dam], because for some time they have been carefully supervising everything that happens in Ukraine - the most closely monitored country in the world - using satellites (the Starlink network and others), drones and spy planes, with particular regard to the front line, where precisely the explosion took place.
The fact that they do not show the world the footage of the moment of the destruction of the river garrison, which they certainly possess, is because it would presumably incriminate the Ukrainians.
RESPONSE
The claim is an attempt to blame Ukraine for the destruction of the Kakhovka dam, trying to shift responsibility away from Russia despite mounting evidence incriminating Russian troops.
On the 6th of June 2023 The White House said it could not say conclusively what caused the destruction of a massive dam in Ukraine, but was assessing reports that the blast was caused by Russia, which has been occupying the dam since 2022.
Among the evidence of Russia’s culpability are seismological traces of explosions at the Russian-occupied dam, forensic reconstructions made with engineering expertise, Russian communications intercepted by the Ukrainian intelligence services, and drone footage taken in the previous days showing an explosive-filled car on top of the facility.
Pro-Kremlin disinformation outlets have been promoting disinformation narratives about the Kahkovka dam for a long time. EUvsDisinfo traced back the efforts to manipulate the information environment and prepare it for the possibility of the dam destruction to at least October 2022. The modus operandi includes previous attempts to hijack the UN Security Council agenda being exhibited now as ‘proof of truthfulness’ of their current disinformation narrative. Repeating disinformation messages not backed by any evidence as if they were established facts while introducing minor variations is a frequent pro-Kremlin disinformation technique.
Read similar cases claiming that Russia had warned the UN about Ukraine’s plans to blow up the Kakhovka dam, that Russia retreated from Kherson because Ukraine wanted to blow up the Kakhovka dam, that Western weapons deliveries enabled Ukraine to destroy de Kakhovka dam, or that the Kakhovka dam attack serves as a pretext for more sanctions.