Russian strikes have damaged a dam near the front line in the eastern Donetsk region of Ukraine, its governor said Monday, warning that nearby villages could be threatened by rising water levels.
Moscow’s army is rapidly advancing in the Donetsk region and are closing in on the town of Kurakhove, which lies next to the reservoir and had a pre-war population of around 18,000 people.
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“The Russians damaged the dam of the reservoir of Kurakhove. This strike potentially threatens residents of settlements on the Vovcha River, both in Donetsk and Dnipro regions,” Governor Vadym Filashkin said.
“As of 16:00, the water level in the river within the Velykonovosilkivska community has risen by 1.2 meters. No flooding has been reported so far!” he posted on social media.
In June last year, a massive Soviet-era dam in Ukraine’s southern Kherson region was blown up, pouring billions of liters of water downstream and flooding dozens of villages on the banks of the Dnipro river.
Kyiv said Russia, whose troops controlled the dam at the time, blew it up to thwart a Ukrainian counter-offensive. Moscow blamed Ukraine.
Dozens were killed in the floods that followed the blast, which has also caused vast environmental damage to southern Ukraine.
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