Russian forces destroy Kakhovka dam, triggering humanitarian disaster

The dam of the Kakhovka Hydroelectric Power Plant across the Dnipro River, occupied by Russian forces, was destroyed on the morning of June 6, sparking a large-scale humanitarian and environmental disaster across southern Ukraine.

Ukraine's Southern Operational Command reported early in the morning that Russian forces blew up the dam.

Video footage widely spread on social media clearly shows a major breach in the section of the dam closest to the Russian-occupied eastern bank of the river.  According to a resident of a nearby settlement cited by Ukrainska Pravda, there was a single explosion, after which the dam "collapsed like a house of cards."

Ukraine's national police have called for the residents of 10 villages alongside the bank of the Dnipro River to evacuate, as well as part of Kherson city itself.

In the hours after the explosion, floodwaters quickly began to hit settlements downstream from the dam. At 9 a.m., Kherson Oblast Governor Oleksandr Prokudin reported that the villages of Tiahinka, Lvove, Odradokamianka, Ivanivka, Mykilske, Tokarivka, Poniativka, Bilozerka, and the  Ostriv district in Kherson were "fully or partially flooded."

Speaking to Ukrainska Pravda, Volodymyr Kovalenko, the exiled mayor of the occupied city of Nova Kakhovka adjacent to the dam, reported that Russian forces had also blown up the machine hall of the plant, and that the city was experiencing significant flooding.

Evacuation of Kherson Oblast settlements affected by flooding underway after Kakhovka dam explosion

Around 16,000 people's homes in Kherson Oblast are located in "critical risk" zones for flooding after Russian forces blew up the Kakhovka Hydroelectric Power Plant, Kherson Oblast Governor Oleksandr Prokudin reported on June 6.

Speaking on national television, Prokudin said that the residents of affected settlements are being evacuated by buses to Kherson, then further to Mykolaiv, Khmelnytsky, Odesa, Kropyvnytskyi, Kyiv, and other cities.

An evacuation train is also scheduled to depart from Kherson at 12:00 p.m. local time.

As of 7:30 a.m. local time, the settlements of Tiahynka, Lvove, Odradokamianka, Ivanivka, Mykilske, Poniativka, Tokarivka, Bilozerka, and the Ostrov district in Kherson were "fully or partially flooded," according to Prokudin.

"We understand that other settlements will also be affected by flooding, and we are prepared for it," he said.

Prokudin urged people to only follow information from official sources and to remain calm.

Ukraine's Southern Operational Command reported early on June 6 that Russian forces blew up the Kakhovka Hydroelectric Power Plant.

President Volodymyr Zelensky wrote at 8:21 a.m. local time that he had called an emergency meeting of the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine.

"The destruction of the Kakhovka hydroelectric power plant dam only confirms for the whole world that Russian forces must be expelled from every corner of Ukrainian land," the president said.

"Not a single meter should be left to them, because they use every meter for terror. It’s only Ukraine's victory that will return security," Zelensky added.

Kakhovka dam  after explosion is not repairable

The Kakhovka Hydroelectric Power Plant is imposible to repair  after being blown up by Russian forces, Ukraine's state-owned energy company Ukrhydroenergo reported on June 6.

Ukraine's Southern Operational Command reported early on June 6 that Russian forces blew up the Kakhovka Hydroelectric Power Plant.

"As a result of the blast, the machine hall inside the Kakhovka Hydroelectric Power Plant was completely destroyed. The station is beyond repair," Ukrhydroenergo wrote.

The water level in the Kahovka reservoir is "rapidly decreasing" as of 9:00 am local time, Ukrhydroenergo reported.

Kherson Oblast Governor Oleksandr Prokudin reported that the evacuation of at-risk settlements was already underway. According to the governor, around 16,000 people's homes in Kherson Oblast are located in "critical risk" zones.

The situation at the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant is also being monitored, given that the plant relies on water from the reservoir to provide power for its turbine condensers.

"The uncontrolled decrease in the reservoir's water level poses an additional threat to the temporarily occupied Zaporizhia Nuclear Power Plant," Ukrhydroenergo wrote.

According to Ukrhydroenergo, the plant's cooling pond is filled, and the Ukrainian staff is "monitoring all indicators."

Russian forces attack Kherson as rescue workers evacuate civilians

Two Kherson police officers were injured by Russian artillery fire while trying to evacuate civilians from flooding caused by Russia's destruction of the Kakhovka Hydroelectric Power Plant, the Interior Ministry reported on June 6.

"Two Kherson police officers were injured by shrapnel during evacuation efforts in the city. An evacuation has been announced, and people are being evacuated. And the Russians are bombarding (people) with artillery," the Interior Ministry wrote.

Around 16,000 people's homes in Kherson Oblast are located in "critical risk" zones for flooding after Russian forces blew up the Kakhovka Hydroelectric Power Plant on June 6, according to Kherson Oblast Governor Oleksandr Prokudin.

The Interior Ministry reported that as of 10:00 a.m. local time, 742 people have already been evacuated from flooding zones in Kherson Oblast. However, a majority of the settlements at risk of flooding are those under Russian occupation.

Evacuation efforts are ongoing.

35 cruise missiles shot down overnight in Ukraine

Russia launched 35 cruise missiles in a night attack against Ukraine on June 6, all of which were shot down by air defense, Ukraine's Air Force reported.

Russian forces used six Tu-95MS strategic bombers located in the Caspian Sea region, to launch an assault on Ukraine. The majority of the X-101/X-555 cruise missiles were aimed towards Kyiv, whose defense falls within the responsibility zone of the Central Air Command.

Kyiv City Military Administration reported that Ukrainian air defense intercepted close to 2o Russian aerial targets before they reached the capital.

The road surface has been damaged with debris falling in Kyiv's Desnianskyi District. According to city administation, trolleybus power lines have been affected, and the windows of a local shop have been partially shattered. There were no reports about casualties.

In recent weeks the frequency of Russian air attacks have escalated to near-nightly raids on numerous regions including Kyiv. The seemingly regular strikes are likely a part of a new Russian air campaign aimed to distract Ukrainian counteroffensive capabilities by forcing the military to maintain an at least partially defensive posture.

The uptick in attacks began in late April, shortly after Ukraine announced it had received American-made Patriot missile systems, a long-sought new defense against Russian airstrikes.

8 settlements and part of Kherson are already flooded, evacuation continues

Eight settlements and one microdistrict in the city of Kherson have been flooded in whole or in part as a result of the blowing up of the Kakhovka Hydroelectric Power Plant by the Russian occupiers.

Oleksandr Prokudin, Head of Kherson Oblast Military Administration reorted that as of 07:30, the following settlements are completely or partially flooded: Tiahynka, Lvove and Odradokamianka in the Beryslav district, and Ivanivka, Mykilske, Tokarivka, Poniativka, Bilozerka and Ostriv microdistrict in Kherson in the Kherson district.

He added that arrangements have been made to evacuate residents of these settlements by bus to Kherson, then to Mykolaiv, and from there to Khmelnytskyi, Odesa, Kropyvnytskyi, Kyiv and other cities in Ukraine.