Russians mine dam of Kakhovka Hydroelectric Power Plant and plan historic catastrophe – Zelenskyy

KATERYNA TYSHCHENKO — THURSDAY, 20 OCTOBER 2022, 20:25 

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has stated that the Russians have mined the dam and units of the Kakhovka Hydroelectric Power Plant (KHPP) and are planning to commit a terrorist attack under another flag [Ukraine’s – ed.].

Source: Zelenskyy in his appeal to the European Council

Quote: "Russia is consciously laying the groundwork for a large-scale disaster in Ukraine’s south. We have information that Russian terrorists have mined the dam and units of the Kakhovka Hydroelectric Power Plant. 

This is one of the largest energy facilities. Its dam contains approximately 18,000,000 cubic metres of water. If Russian terrorists blow up this dam, more than 80 settlements, including Kherson, will be in the zone of rapid flooding. Hundreds of thousands of people could suffer.

It could destroy the water supply for a large part of Ukraine’s south. This Russian terrorist attack could leave the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant (ZNPP) without water for cooling; the ZNPP takes water from the Kakhovka reservoir. Even the functioning of the channel, constructed for providing Crimea with water, which Moscow sometimes "expresses concern" about, will be completely destroyed. This is Russia’s real attitude towards our Ukrainian Crimea. 

In general, the devastating ecological, humanitarian and technogenic consequences of this Russian terrorist attack alone could be described as a historic catastrophe."

Details: Zelenskyy has stated that Russia has already got everything prepared to commit this terrorist attack. 

"The Ukrainian employees have been kicked out of the Kakhovka plant; only Russian citizens are there now. They have full control over the plant. We need to act immediately in order to prevent Russia from implementing this disaster," he said. 

He asked the international community to send an international monitoring mission to the KHPP, get the Ukrainian personnel back there, and provide immediate and professional mine clearance for all units and the dam. 

"Russia is doing this to conduct another false-flag operation, to commit a terrorist attack and accuse Ukraine of doing it," Zelenskyy said.

Previously: On 20 October, the American Institute for the Study of War reported that the Russians were setting information conditions to carry out a false-flag attack on the KHPP in order to justify or cover its retreat from Kherson Oblast. 

Background:

• Earlier, it was reported that Russian occupiers have been moving their military vehicles and manpower from the right bank of Dnipro river in Kherson Oblast to the left, amidst the recent successful offensive by Ukrainian troops in that area. 
• Representatives of the occupation administration in Kherson and Kherson Oblast claimed they planned to evacuate some 50-60,000 civilians from 4 districts in the Oblast to Dnipro’s left bank, or to Russia, due to alleged preparation of a Ukrainian counteroffensive. 
• Volodymyr Saldo, the collaborator and Russian-installed "governor" of Kherson Oblast claimed that the so-called leadership of Kherson Oblast decided to move to the left bank [of the Dnipro River], due to alleged preparation of a Ukrainian counteroffensive.

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