Military Expert On Kakhovska HPP Destruction: This Is Russia’s Act Of Despair

The occupiers became nervous because of the counteroffensive of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

On Tuesday, June 6, 2023, at about 2:30 am, the Russian occupiers blew up the dam of the Kakhovka reservoir. Kakhovska HPP is completely destroyed and cannot be restored.

Military expert, head of the Center for Military Legal Research Oleksandr Musienko told Charter97.org why the Russians did it:

– There are all indications that preparations for the Ukrainian counteroffensive are going on quite thoroughly. Preparatory actions can be called the first phase of the counteroffensive. The fact is that earlier Ukrainian troops carried out certain actions and raids from the right to the left bank with the help of boats and vessels. These raids were aimed at sabotage, that is, either the destruction of artillery or air defense systems, or the performance of other tasks. But even these raids were enough to make the Russian occupiers so nervous that they made this act of despair and blew up the Kakhovska Hydroelectric Power Plant, fearing that Ukraine could launch a counteroffensive there.

This really cannot be perceived in any other way than an act of despair. In my opinion, even if some actions during the counteroffensive were related to the forcing of the Dnipro river, they would be of a secondary, distracting nature. That is, it is by no means the main strike direction. Therefore, the Russians tried to protect themselves in this way and they are ready to do anything to talk about the failure of the Ukrainian counteroffensive. But in fact, they did not break anything.

– There was information that the first line of defense is flooded, and water shortages have begun in Crimea. How will the undermining of the Kakhovka Hydroelectric Power Plant affect the defense of the Russian Federation on the Southern Front?

– The Russians are not so much interested in their first line of defense in general, they will create it elsewhere now. It is now important for them to expand the riverbed. Firstly, the flow has now intensified, but it will not always be the same, that's clear. The water will subside and the flow will slow a little. But the riverbed is expanding, so they can create a line of defense in different places. Also, the expansion of the riverbed will mean that Ukrainian troops will need more time to cross the river. It is also obvious that all actions become more visible. This is the logic of the Russian occupiers. That's why they made such a decision.

They will place their line of defense further and in this way, they will say that they “have solved the tasks of preventing Ukrainian troops from forcing the Dnipro River”. The Russians had been considering the option of blowing up the dam for a long time, even during the offensive of Ukrainian troops on Kherson.

– What will be the overall consequences of this disruption?

– First of all, there will be terrible consequences of this war crime for ordinary people. People will suffer, houses will be destroyed or damaged, people will be evacuated. Then there will be a number of environmental problems associated with the lack of water supply. All this will have a strong negative impact on the environment as a whole. From a military point of view, there are no significant consequences that would seriously change Ukraine's counteroffensive plans.

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