DISINFO: Kyiv regime blew up the Kakhovskaya hydroelectric power station at the dam
SUMMARY
Shelling by the Kyiv army led to the destruction of the upper part of the Kakhovskaya hydroelectric power station. The blow, presumably, was delivered from a [Ukrainian heavy multiple rocket launcher].
Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said that the Kyiv regime blew up the Kakhovskaya hydroelectric power station, as it weakened its positions in the Kherson direction, transferring troops from there to the offensive area.
Investigative committee of the Russian Federation opened a criminal investigation into the terror attack.
RESPONSE
Disinformation message aiming to shift the blame for the destruction of Kakhovskaya hydroelectric power station and the resulting humanitarian and ecological catastrophe away from Russia.
The Nova Kakhovka dam was captured by Russia at the start of the invasion of Ukraine in February, and has been held by it ever since.
In October 2022, as Ukraine was in the midst of reclaiming large parts of occupied Kherson, Volodymyr Zelenskiy urged the west to warn Russia not to blow up the dam, warning that it would flood a large area of southern Ukraine. At the time, he claimed that Russian forces had planted explosives inside the dam.
High Representative of the EU for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy/Vice-President of the Commission Josep Borrell said:
The destruction of the Kakhovka Dam represents a new dimension of Russian atrocities, putting the lives of hundreds of thousands of civilians at risk. Attacks on civilian infrastructure qualify as war crimes.
Multiple Western leaders have condemned the destruction of the dam, pointing out to the brutality of Russia's war in Ukraine.
The attack looks like an attempt to limit Ukrainian forces in their counterattack. It represents a new dimension of Russian atrocities. The downstream flooding is putting at risk the lives of hundreds of thousands of civilians in around 80 settlements, including the city of Kherson. It aggravates the already dire humanitarian situation in those areas.
See related disinformation claims alleging that the Kakhovka dam attack is part pf Kyiv's political plan; and that the Kakhovka dam attack was a pretext for more sanctions.