DLNews Ukraine War:

"Dam destroyed in Ukraine. Rupture of the Kachowka Dam on the morning of June 6, 2023"

Dramatic images after the dam collapse of the hydroelectric power station in Kakhovka in the Russian-occupied territory of Ukraine. The dam holds 18.2 billion cubic meters of water, a large part of which is now rolling down the river, sweeping away everything not nailed down.

In many places, pets were left behind and had to be rescued from the floods by civil protection officers and the police.

Sixteen thousand people are said to be in the critical zone. More than 80 villages are located directly in the flood zone. The city of Cherson, where tens of thousands of people still live, could also be surrounded by the water masses.

Russia analyst George Barros from the think tank "Institute for the Study of War" also shared pictures on Twitter showing footage before and after the dam collapse along the Dnieper River.

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba accuses Russia of committing another war crime: “Russia destroyed the Kakhovka dam, causing what is probably the largest technical disaster in Europe in decades and endangering thousands of civilians. This is a heinous war crime.”

Horror tide rushes through Ukraine.

Oleksiy Ryabchyn, an adviser to Ukraine's Deputy Prime Minister, told English news channel SkyNews: "We consider this (the dam blow-up, ed.) an act of terrorism - the consequences could be Chornobyl-like in scale, which dealing with the force of nature and how many people should leave their homes.”

The Chornobyl nuclear disaster of 1986 was the worst accident in the history of the civilian use of atomic energy. Large amounts of radioactive radiation were released as a result of two explosions.

A man – with only his clothes on his body, tobacco, and a lighter in his hand – gets to safety after the dam collapse in Nowa Kachowka. The water is already up to his waist.

The destruction of the Kachowka dam is a "new dimension" in the Ukraine war. The damage to the barrier" fits how Putin is waging this war. However, the dam's destruction means not only enormous amounts of water making its way but also a catastrophic environmental situation.

Great danger: The washed-up landmines can be detonated by debris in the water.

In some spots on Tuesday, beavers and other animals roamed through half-flooded towns; dogs had to be rescued from the floods, as did their owners.

The Ukrainian mobile task force "consists of emergency specialists, all-terrain vehicles and additional forces and equipment: boats, floating transporters, generators, mobile water treatment plants, and drinking water delivery vehicles," according to the Ukrainian Interior Ministry. More than 700 police officers are also helping with the evacuations.

Landmines placed on the banks of the Dnieper River to ward off possible attacks were washed ashore by the flood waters.

In addition, according to Ukraine, up to 150 tons of machine oil ran into the Dnieper River due to the explosion at the dam.

Resident Tetiana holds her pets Tsatsa and Chunya as she stands inside her home that was flooded after the Kachowka Dam ruptured overnight.

There is also a significant risk: the landmines laid out on the river bank to deter enemy attacks are now washed ashore by the water masses, and some of them explode due to debris in the water.

A psychologist from the State Emergency Management Service talks to evacuees at a train station in the Kherson region.

Vehicles have been made available for evacuations, and further emergency relief measures are currently being sounded out," says Florian Beck, Johanniter program officer for Ukraine.

“The flood hits people holding out in combat zones under the most adverse circumstances for months and are often cut off from help. In addition to evacuation measures, we expect the food and drinking water supply will be the main issue over the next few days.”