Kakhovka dam collapse endangers thousands

About 42,000 people are at risk from flooding in Russian and Ukrainian-controlled areas along the Dnipro after the collapse of the Nova Kakhovka dam on the river.
Russian-installed authorities declare state of emergency in annexed parts of Kherson region.Ukrainian troops advance 1,100 meters in Bakhmut: Minister
Ukrainian Deputy Defence Minister Hanna Maliar says troops have advanced from 200 to 1,100 metres on parts of the front around the Bakhmut in the last 24 hours.

On Telegram, Maliar said, “In the direction of Bakhmut, our troops switched from defence to offensive. Over the past day, we have advanced from 200 to 1,100 meters in various sections of the Bakhmut direction.”

“The enemy in this direction went on the defensive, trying to hold the occupied positions. At present, the enemy is withdrawing its reserves in this direction from the depth for protection.”

The minister added that Wagner forces still remain in some place in the rear, and the Russian army is “conducting hostilities”.

“It is possible to hold the defence of the Bakhmut direction for so long and now to advance on it thanks to the fortifications prepared in advance,” she added.

Russia ‘officially’ blames Kyiv for dam collapse: Journalist
Journalist Yulia Shapovalova, reporting from Moscow, said the Russian side has officially blamed the dam collapse on Ukraine.

“The Russian side has officially placed all the blame on Kyiv, and Moscow actually controls those territories. They say it is not in their interest to trigger a humanitarian and ecological catastrophe there,” Shapovalova said.

“Many here believe the situation could presumably be beneficial for Ukraine because the flood could have washed away Russian fortifications there and minefields. In October last year, Russia wrote a letter to the UNSC [United Nations Security Council] calling on Kyiv to prevent the destruction of the dam, and it was warning about the shelling from the Ukrainian side.”

Shapovalova added that experts have said that the fallout from the dam may affect both sides of the war.

Up to 100 people trapped in Nova Kakhovka, says Russian official
At least 100 people in the Russian-controlled town of Nova Kakhovka are trapped, and thousands of wild animals have been killed after the Kakhovka dam collapsed, Russian news agencies reported.

Every second, more than 30,000 cubic metres (30 million litres or 8 million gallons) of water pours out of the reservoir the dam held back, and the town is at risk of contamination, the TASS news agency quoted the Russian-installed mayor, Vladimir Leontyev, as saying.

He said rescue efforts were under way to free people trapped by the floods.

Leontyev was also cited by the RIA Novosti news agency as saying that “thousands of animals” at the Nizhnedniprovsky National Nature Park had also been killed and that the scale of the disaster was “huge”.

Ukraine and Russia traded blame for the destruction of the dam.Water levels expected to drop: AJ correspondent
Al Jazeera’s Charles Stratford, reporting from Zaporizhzhia, said that, before its collapse, the dam generated fresh water for thousands of people in Ukraine.

“The most immediate impact is for the tens and thousands of civilians living downriver. This is the Ukrainian-controlled side. The river is swollen and overwhelming the banks. Residents in the nearby streets are being evacuated from the rising water,” Stratford said.

“On the Russian-occupied side of the river, the town of Nova Kakhovka is also under a metre [3.2 feet] or more of flood water. Ukraine’s President accused the Russians of terrorism. This is the reservoir upstream from the destroyed dam, and this is a vast body of water. We estimate banks in the distance to be about 25km away.”

He added that water levels are expected to drop in the coming hours and days.