Major Ukraine dam damaged; widespread flooding feared as war intensifies: Live updates

A major dam partially collapsed early Tuesday in a part of southern Ukraine controlled by Russia, causing massive flooding and putting thousands of homes at risk.

Each side blamed the other for the disaster, which comes as Russian forces struggle against what appears to be the start of a long-awaited Ukrainian counteroffensive. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov accused Ukraine of "deliberate sabotage" to deprive Crimea of water. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said the dam was mined by the Russian occupiers, creating the "largest man-made environmental disaster in Europe in decades."

Video footage released by Zelenskyy showed water crashing through wide gaps in the dam and roaring downriver toward the city of Kherson, home to almost 300,000 Ukrainians. Ukrainian officials said evacuations were underway.00

"The destruction of the Kakhovka hydroelectric power plant dam only confirms for the whole world that they must be expelled from every corner of Ukrainian land," Zelenskyy said on Twitter. "Not a single meter should be left to them, because they use every meter for terror.

The destruction of the Kakhovka hydroelectric power plant dam only confirms for the whole world that they must be expelled from every corner of Ukrainian land," Zelenskyy said on Twitter. "Not a single meter should be left to them, because they use every meter for terror.

The Russia-installed mayor of Nova Kakhovka, a city of 45,000, said his town was underwater, state media reported. The Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, which requires water for its cooling system, is upstream from the dam − also in territory controlled by Russia. The U.N.’s International Atomic Energy Agency said in a statement there was “no immediate risk to the safety of the plant."

The Kakhovka dam holds back about 4.8 billion gallons of water. At maximum capacity, Lake Mead, the reservoir formed by Hoover Dam, holds about 9.3 trillion gallons.

Developments:

∙ Kyiv is keeping silent about the start of any counteroffensive, but fighting is raging in several sections of the front line, signaling that the long-expected campaign could be getting underway.

∙ Moscow claims it successfully fended off a Ukrainian attempt to ram through Russia’s defenses, but some pro-Kremlin military bloggers say Kyiv’s troops made some quick gains.

As war heats up, Russia's Wagner mercenaries could be key

A "substantial increase" in fighting is underway this week along numerous sectors of the front, including those which have been relatively quiet for several months, the British Defense Ministry says in its latest assessment of the war. The ministry notes that the feud between Wagner mercenary group leader Yevgeny Prigozhin and the Russian military has reached an unprecedented level

"With Russia short of reserve units, the degree to which Wagner remains responsive to (Russian military leadership) will be a key factor in the conflict over the coming weeks," the assessment says.

Wagner mercenary leader: Russian military claims are 'wild fantasies'

Yevgeny Prigozhin, whose mercenary Wagner Group has been credited with seizing the Ukraine city of Bakhmut, on Tuesday dismissed Russian Defense Ministry claims that its troops killed more than 1,500 Ukrainian troops and halted a planned advance. Prigozhin, a frequent critic of the Russian military and defense minister Sergei Shoigu, said adding up the Russian claims over the course of the war would imply “we have already destroyed the entire planet five times over.”

The long-running feud appeared to reach new heights Monday, when Prigozhin announced the capture a Russian commander. In a video posted on Prigozhin’s social media channels, Lt. Col Roman Venevitin admits that while drunk he had ordered his troops to fire on a Wagner convoy. Prigozhin also accused Russian forces of putting down land mines to kill his men as they withdrew from Bakhmut.

Who blew up the Nova Kakhovka hydroelectric plant?

The Ukrainian Interior Ministry wrote on Telegram that the Kakhovka dam had been blown up by Russia. Russian officials countered that the Kakhovka dam was damaged by Ukrainian military strikes in the contested area. Ukraine has been warning for almost a year that Russia may try to destroy the dam.

In his Telegram post, Zelenskyy blamed “Russian terrorists” for the dam's destruction. He said the incident "only confirms for the whole world that they must be expelled from every corner of Ukrainian land.”

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Nova Kakhovka dam: Why it's significant

The Kakhovka dam is one of six dams along the Dnipro River. It is crucial for drinking water and power supply for southeastern Ukraine and the Crimean peninsula, which was annexed by Russia in 2014. The dam itself is about 100-feet tall and stretches for about 2 miles. It was built in 1956. Russian officials said that about 22,000 people across 14 settlements could be impacted by flooding. Ukrainian officials said up to 80 settlements were at riThe Kakhovka dam is one of six dams along the Dnipro River. It is crucial for drinking water and power supply for southeastern Ukraine and the Crimean peninsula, which was annexed by Russia in 2014. The dam itself is about 100-feet tall and stretches for about 2 miles. It was built in 1956. Russian officials said that about 22,000 people across 14 settlements could be impacted by flooding. Ukrainian officials said up to 80 settlements were at risk.Ukraine’s nuclear operator Energoatom said in a Telegram statement that the blowing up of the dam “could have negative consequences for the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant,” but at the moment situation is “controllable.” A severe drop in the reservoir has the potential to deprive the nuclear plant of crucial cooling.

The U.N.'s International Atomic Energy Agency wrote on Twitter that its experts were closely monitoring the situation at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant, and there was "no immediate nuclear safety risk" at the facility.

The IAEA said in a separate statement that water in the reservoir was "at around 16.4 meters (53.8 feet) as of 8 a.m. local time. If it drops below 12.7 meters then it can no longer be pumped." The IAEA said that the reservoir was reducing at a rate of approximately 5 centimeters (0.39 inches) per hour.

Is Ukraine's counteroffensive finally underway?

Ukraine and Russia are fighting an information war, as well as one on the battlefield. This makes it extremely difficult to know how much weight to give to military-related statements from either side. It was also not immediately clear whether or how the damage to the dam could impact Ukraine's military plans.

"They are looking to cause a collapse in the Russian army first and foremost − and everything we are seeing in the shaping operations means they are giving themselves the best possible chance to do that."

]Contributing: The Associated Press