Ukraine, 6-6-23

First, a link to a report from the Moscow Times, followed by links to earlier reports from National Public Radio, the Associated Press, Reuters, Agence France-Presse, and Tass; others are accessible by clicking on their names or initials below. Finally for today, a link to a column in the Berkshire Eagle of Jan. 7 and linked HERE then. — MCM  

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Flooding in Ukraine’s Kherson region after critical dam destroyed. From the Moscow Times. A Russian-controlled dam near the frontline that supplies southern Ukraine and annexed Crimea with drinking water was significantly damaged early today, flooding the area and threatening the nearby nuclear power plant. Drone footage widely shared online and originally published by pro-Russian and pro-Ukrainian bloggers showed the broken Kakhovka dam with water flowing freely downstream. “Well over 18 cubic kilometers of water stored . . . READ MORE . . .

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Major dam near a nuclear power plant in southern Ukraine suddenly collapses. Reported by Michel Martin and Greg Myre | NPR  A major dam near a nuclear power plant in southern Ukraine has suddenly collapsed. The risk of flooding would pose a threat to the nuclear plant which is occupied by Russian troops. Click HERE to listen and, later, read.

   

Ukraine accuses Russia of destroying major dam near Kherson, warns of ecological disaster, by Susie Blann | AP  KYIV — The wall of a major dam in a part of southern Ukraine that Moscow controls collapsed today after a reported explosion, sending water gushing downriver and prompting dire warnings of ecological damage as officials from both sides in the war ordered residents to evacuate. Ukraine accused . . . READ MORE . . .

   

What is the Kakhovka dam in Ukraine – and what happened? by Guy Faulconbridge | Reuters  A huge Soviet-era dam on the Dnipro River that separates Russian and Ukrainian forces in southern Ukraine was breached today, unleashing floodwaters across the war zone. Ukraine said Russia had destroyed it, while Russian officials gave conflicting accounts, some saying it was destroyed by Ukrainian shelling and others saying it collapsed due to earlier . . . READ MORE . . .

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Kremlin says Kakhovka dam attack ‘deliberate sabotage’ by Kyiv. From AFP. The Kremlin today said an attack on a major dam in Moscow-occupied southern Ukraine was “deliberate sabotage” by Kyiv, which wanted to cut off Russian-occupied Crimea from water. “We can . . . READ MORE . . .

   

Kakhovka HPP continues to collapse, water is discharged uncontrollably – mayor. From Tass. MOSCOW  — The Kakhovka Hydroelectric Power Plant continues to collapse, water is being discharged uncontrollably, Novaya Kakhovka Mayor Vladimir Leontyev said today. Ukrainian forces shelled the Kakhovka HPP in the early morning hours, presumably using firing missiles from an Olkha multiple launch rocket system (MLRS). Slide gate valves . . . READ MORE . . .

   

Ukraine trying to end battlefield stalemate in what may be start of counteroffensive, by Susie Blann | AP (Made available June 5, 2023) KYIV — Ukrainian forces were making a major effort to end a battlefield stalemate and punch through Russian defensive lines in southeast Ukraine for a second day Monday, in what may herald the start of a long-anticipated counteroffensive after 15 months of war. Russian officials seemed to be trying to portray the Ukrainian attacks as the start of the counteroffensive, . . . READ MORE . . .

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Russian dam-busters threaten Kyiv, by James Brooke | The Berkshire Eagle  (Published Jan. 7, 2023) On New Year’s Eve, Russian President Vladimir Putin promised his people a military victory. One potential Russian force multiplier that keeps Ukrainian strategists up at night is dam busting. During the communist era, Soviet engineers built a succession of six dams down the Dnipro, Europe’s second-longest . . . READ MORE . . .