The Minister of Reintegration of the Temporarily Occupied Territories of Ukraine noted on February 12, 2023, that Russian soldiers are draining the Kakhovka Reservoir on the Dnipro River in the south of Ukraine. There is a threat to the ecology, water supply, and agriculture of the Zaporizhzhia and Kherson regions.
Source: The Minister of Reintegration of the Temporarily Occupied Territories of Ukraine Iryna Vereshchuk
The Kakhovka Reservoir is a large man-made lake, which has been providing drinking water and irrigation water to the south of Ukraine, in particular, the Zaporizhzhia and Kherson regions. Satellite data show that the reservoir’s water level has fallen to its lowest point in three decades.
“Russian troops are deliberately and purposefully committing ecocide in the region, including the temporarily occupied territories. They will not be able to hold the captured territories. Maybe they started to realize it. Therefore, they want to leave behind them a scorched earth, unfit for life,” explained the Minister of Reintegration of the Temporarily Occupied Territories of Ukraine.
The Kakhovka dam on the Dnipro River in the Kherson region is the basis for a large hydroelectric power plant, and also one of the two main road crossing points in the lower course of the Dnipro. On November 11, 2023, the facility suffered significant damage due to destruction by retreating Russian troops to impede future advances of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
See also: Russian troops mined the Hydroelectric Power Plant in the south of Ukraine
