Russia caused a flood in Tokmak before Ukraine's counteroffensive – Bellingcat

Before the Ukrainian offensive, Russia built a makeshift dam and caused a flood on the outskirts of occupied Tokmak in Zaporizhzhia Oblast, probably to disrupt the encirclement of the city.

Source: Bellingcat with reference to Planet Labs satellite images 

Details: Satellite images show that on the eve of the offensive of Ukrainian troops, Russia created a dam on the outskirts of occupied Tokmak.

The red line shows the approximate front line, and the green line shows the Russian defence lines, according to data from open sources. The makeshift dam is within the defensive line surrounding Tokmak, which in turn is behind several other defensive lines. 

Bellingcat reports that since the construction of the dam in early May, the Tokmachka River has widened significantly to the east of the city and flooded some fields closest to the dam. This was seen in high-resolution SkySat images from Planet Labs on 6 June, which showed that the dam had the appearance of a sand barrier wide enough to hold back a small river. 

Tire tracks leading from the dam indicate that it may also serve as a bridge, although a nearby bridge is believed by reporters to be functioning properly.

On the right, water can be seen accumulating and spilling over the surrounding fields. To the left of the bridge, in the centre of the picture, a barrier of yellow sand is visible. Tire tracks lead to the dam.

Satellite images show tracks leading to the dam on 3 May, and on 6 May the Tokmachka River overflowed. Moreover, the water level on the eastern side of the dam rose steadily in June.

Satellite imagery from Planet Labs shows water levels rising due to the recently built dam in Tokmak. pic.twitter.com/HYpmmezYZt

— Michael Sheldon (@Michael1Sheldon) June 29, 2023

Bellingcat emphasises that Russia has spent several months preparing for a Ukrainian counteroffensive in the south of the country. The multi-layered defence consists of several lines of minefields, anti-tank ditches, concrete barriers and trenches covering the entire front line at a great depth.

Raising the water level in the Tokmachka River may be part of a larger plan to slow down the advance of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. In particular, to prevent the eastern encirclement of Tokmak in the event of a breakthrough of Ukrainian troops near the city.

However, given the size of the dam, the flooding is insignificant and does not even approach the scale in Nova Kakhovka.

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