Dam disaster complicates both counter-offensive and Russian defense | War in Ukraine

The destroyed dam has major consequences for the defense lines of the Russian army on the Dnipro River. The floods destroyed many Russian positions intended to defend against Ukrainian attacks, the US Institute for the Study of War (ISW) reported.

Due to the water, the Russians are likely to have to abandon positions they previously used to hit targets in Kherson. Minefields would also have been washed away.

In the Kherson region, an area of ​​about 600 square kilometers is under water as a result of the dam burst earlier this week. That is equal to about 2.5 times the municipality of Amsterdam. About 68 percent of the flooded area is in Russian hands.

At least five people have been killed after the Kakhovka dam burst. At least 41 victims are also in the hospital.

Much is still unclear about the total number of victims of the dam breach. Thousands of homes have been flooded, leaving tens of thousands of people homeless. Many thousands of people have been evacuated.

During the evacuations, the shelling continues. The Russians fired on a group of evacuees on Thursday, the Ukrainian interior ministry said. Three people were said to have been injured.

Kyiv accuses Russia of abandoning people in the affected area. “The Russians are also preventing us from saving human lives,” says Ukraine.

In recent hours, the fighting at the front would have intensified. There would also be more activity on the front line at Zaporizhzhia. Ukraine may deploy the modern Leopard 2 tanks there, the American writes ABC News based on unconfirmed messages.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky visited the flood plain on Thursday. He discussed compensating and helping the affected residents. He also discussed the impact of the dam disaster on military operations, but according to Zelensky, the counteroffensive “continues as usual”.

Zelensky has asked for international help. “People and animals have died. From the roofs of flooded houses, people see how drowned people float by,” said the Ukrainian president.

French President Emmanuel Macron has said he will send aid in “the next few hours”. There may be an international investigation into the cause of the dam breach.

The Netherlands is sending twenty boats, fifteen water pumps, more than 180 life jackets and more than fifty waders to the area. The relief supplies have been made available by the water boards. In addition, the Netherlands Rescue Brigade will send at least twelve lifeboats. The items will go to Ukraine as soon as possible.

Contrary to previous reports, the nuclear power plant in Zaporizhzhia is still cooled with water from the Dnipro reservoir. Because the water level had dropped below 12.7 meters, the dam’s manager reported that the plant had to switch to the backup cooling system.

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) now reports that this is not yet necessary. Earlier, 12.7 was mentioned as the minimum, but the IAEA says cooling from the lake could continue to 11 meters and possibly even lower.

The IAEA has a permanent presence at the nuclear power plant. The agency said earlier that there is no acute danger because there is enough cooling water for several months.

When that reservoir is empty, the plant could also use the water system of the nearby town of Enerhodar. As an emergency option, the fire brigade can bring water to the nuclear power plant.