From the New York Times, June 6:
A dam in southern Ukraine was split in half, but it is unclear who caused the damage. Thousands are being evacuated as dangerous volumes of water gush downstream.
A critical dam on the Dnipro River in southern Ukraine was split in half overnight Tuesday, posing significant risks to the safety of a nearby nuclear power plant and surrounding communities. It was not immediately clear who caused the damage.
Ukrainian officials on Tuesday began evacuating thousands of residents living downstream from the dam in the Kherson region as huge volumes of water gushed from the dam’s reservoir, with flooding expected to reach dangerous levels within hours.
The dam is near the front line of the war.
Videos of the dam, in the town of Nova Kakhovka, reviewed by The New York Times do not reveal what caused the destruction. But they do show a significant amount of water flowing freely through the dam, indicating the severe damage.
Located near the front line of the war in the southern Kherson region, the barrier and nearby infrastructure have been damaged throughout the war. Last year, Russian forces took control of the dam and a nearby hydroelectric plant. Satellite imagery showed new damage to a bridge next to the dam days before Tuesday’s destruction.
Ukraine’s hydropower company, Ukrhydroenergo, said an explosion inside the engine room caused the destruction, which was under Russian control at the time. The power plant, it said, “cannot be restored.”...
....MUCH MORE
Bild, among many Western sources says it was the Russians who blew the dam.
Most affected will be the Russian-held side of the river and the Russian language majority of Crimea as one of the major water sources dries up so who knows.
At least 20,000 people are being evacuated from the area, some under gunfire.