Ukrainian Women, Left Homeless After Dam Disaster, Send Powerful Message To Russia

A dam at the Kakhovka hydropower plant, a massive Soviet-era structure in Southern Ukraine was blown up. It became the latest casualty in the Russia-Ukraine conflict, with both countries accusing the other of the attack. Its destruction may have a number of significant repercussions for the local areas around the dam. Two Ukrainian women are drawing public attention to the tragedy of thousands of people left homeless as a result of Russia's undermining of the Kakhovka hydroelectric power plant. 

Alisa Malysheva and Alisa Malysheva are holding Russia accountable for the dam disaster. The two women posted a series of pictures on Instagram with a poster which reads, "My Home Is Flooding Because Of Russia". 

In an Instagram post, they wrote, "Today Russians committed a terrorist act by blowing up the Kakhovka dam, which was under Russian control for more than a year. This is likely the biggest technological disaster Europe has experienced in decades.

As a result, more than 13 settlements were flooded, and more than 1,300 people were evacuated so far. The statistics are only about territory which is controlled by Ukraine, the consequences of the occupied by Russian territory is bigger and hidden."

The caption further reads, "The dam was important for maintaining the operation of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant. Its explosion threatens to malfunction in its work and can lead to disaster on an even larger scale. Flora and fauna perish under flooding. Houses of civilians are washed away by a stream of water. Destruction of hydroelectric power plants is considered a weapon of mass destruction and a war crime. Russians are dangerous for everything alive."

See the post here:

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A post shared by соня квітка (@your_kvitka)

The head of Ukraine's presidential administration on Tuesday described the blast as an "ecocide" committed by Russian forces. Russia blamed Ukraine for the incident.

Ten villages on the western bank of the Dnipro and a part of the city of Kherson face the risk of flooding and people were urged to prepare for evacuation. Unverified videos on social media showed water surging through the remains of the Nova Kakhovka dam with bystanders expressing their shock, sometimes in strong language. Water levels raced up by metres in a matter of hours.

The Kakhovka dam, seized at the start of the Russian offensive in Ukraine, notably supplies water to the Crimean peninsula, annexed by Moscow in 2014.