Who blew up the Nova Kakhovka dam?
Let’s take a look at who blew up the Nova Kakhovka dam in Ukraine during the early hours of 6th June 2023. Both the Ukrainians and the Russians deny it, so let’s apply some common sense to the question.
- Who had reasons to do it?
Um, that would be the Russians who are looking to disrupt the current Ukrainian offensive.
Whose people are affected?
Well, it’s all populated with Ukrainians (even the bits that are occupired by the Russians on the eastern side of the river Dnipro). Of course, there are some Russian soldiers who weren’t told that the water was going to rise, but not many in the scheme of things.
Who benefits from the action?
The humanitarian, evacuation and subsequent health crisis will all strain the Ukrainian governments bandwidth, which will benefit the Russians.
Rendering a part of the front lines untenable for offensive actions will also benefit the Russians.
Who had the access and means?
The Russians had possession of the dam and had been managing the water flow up until this point. Dams can demolished by placing charges against the structure of the dam underwater so that the water pressure magnifies the explosive effects. Only Russian forces had the access to position a largest enough charge.
Who’s got a track record?
The Russians have shown a scant respect for the civilian infrastructure of Ukraine with their campaign against the electricity grid.
Who’s going to suffer from the results
The Ukrainian people will suffer from the humanitarian crisis created by the flooding. Agricultural production will be affected by the loss of the irrigation system and the effect of the floods on crops that would be in their growing season. The Ukrainian people will also bear the costs and effort of rebulding the communities that have been flooded and the cost of rebuilding lost infrastucture.
Conclusion.
It was the Russians that blew the dam up. Whether they meant to do it that completely is another question.
Breaking: News today emerges that Norweigan siesmic monitoring stations detected an explosion at 2.54am on 6th June (local time).
