OEKRAÏNE
Situatie Oekraïne dag 240
October 21, 2022 - Ukraine’s president Volodymyr Zelenskiy has accused Russia of planning to destroy a hydroelectric dam in the eastern Kherson region and flood lower Dnipro river to cover Russian forces’ retreat.
If the Kakhovka hydroelectric power plant is critically damaged, 80 towns and cities could be flooded and the Zaporizhya nuclear power plant could be left without water for cooling, Mr Zelenskiy said.
On Wednesday, the Institute for the Study of War think tank reported that Moscow may be planning an attack on the dam which it would blame on Ukraine, believing that the resulting flooding may give Russian forces cover as they retreat from parts of the Kherson region.
Russia is evacuating civilians from the parts of Kherson region under its control, in expectation of a Ukrainian offensive to take the city.