Kakhovka Dam Poses Large Perils

As the Ukrainians prepare to try and recapture the city of Kherson, a critically important dam lies in harm’s way. The Kakhovka Hydroelectric Power Plant is the last dam on the Dnieper river. This dam not only produces a significant amount of hydroelectric power, but its reservoir, the Kakhovka Reservoir, holds the water that is used in the cooling system of the Zaporizhzhia Power Plant, the largest nuclear power plant in Europe. The water is used to cool both reactors and spent fuel pools.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has already alleged that the Russians are planning on blowing up the dam. Russia, on the other hand, has claimed that Ukrainian forces have fired rockets at the Nova Kakhovka dam, intent on destroying it. Regardless of which side may blow up the dam, the results would be disastrous.

Both sides have reasons not to blow up the dam, and conversely, reasons that they could wrongfully consider this course of action beneficial. For the Russians, the Kakhovka Reservoir provides the Crimea with water, a region that they have held since 2014. The flooding caused by the dam could also force Russia to abandon large amounts of military equipment in Kherson if they are forced to retreat.

For the Ukrainians, who are already suffering from damage to their power infrastructure, the dam being destroyed would only add to their energy concerns. Furthermore, the flooding that would happen as a result would halt further advancements east for any Ukrainian offensives in the area.

As both sides lay claim to the city of Kherson, the damage done to the city, area, and dam itself would be costly. The trouble of providing water to the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant would serve as an issue for either party wanting control of the area.

Of course, it is the people who will suffer regardless, should the dam be destroyed. The flooding caused by the destruction of the Kakhovka Dam could endanger hundreds of thousands of people, including those in the city of Kherson.

During World War II, many witnessed the death caused by the purposeful destruction of dams. During Operation Chastise in May of 1943, the RAF blew up two dams in the Ruhr Valley using bouncing bombs known as "dam busters". Over 1600 civilians died as a result of the flooding, mainly German citizens and Soviet prisoners of war, the latter being allies of the RAF. The leader of the RAF Squadron, Guy Gibson, would later lament, "No one likes mass slaughter, and we did not like being the authors of it."

Before Operation Chastise, in 1941, Stalin would blow up a dam in a city in Southern Ukraine known as Zaporizhzhya. The villages nearby flooded, killing thousands in an attempt to halt the Nazi advance. Citizens on the Dnieper are once again at risk of such peril, with the added dangers of a nuclear reactor without enough water to safeguard its reactors and waste.