Blowing up of Kakhovka power plant: Law enforcement officers share details of investigation

Ten investigative teams are looking into the crime of ecocide and violation of the customs of war in Kherson Oblast, where the dam of the Kakhovka Hydroelectric Power Plant (HPP) was blown up.

Source: Office of the Prosecutor General of Ukraine 

Quote: "It has been established that as a result of the destruction of the dam, there was an uncontrolled release of water with an increase in its level in the lower part of the Dnipro to 12 metres. 26 settlements in the liberated part in Kherson Oblast were flooded. More than 42,000 citizens live in this zone. Meanwhile, there is no accurate information about the status of the man-made disaster in the occupied part of Kherson Oblast.

The destruction of dams - civilian targets containing dangerous forces - is a war crime. This is clearly stated in Article 56 of Additional Protocol I to the Geneva Conventions. Such actions can be equated to using weapons of mass destruction."

Details: The legal classification is ecocide and violation of the laws and customs of war (Articles 441.1 and 438 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine). The investigation is being run by a specially created interdepartmental and interregional group of Security Service of Ukraine and National Police investigators.

In total, 10 investigative teams are working at the scene. Forty protocols have been drawn up based on the results of reviews of open sources. A number of requests have also been sent to state agencies and services.

Specialists have inspected five locations of flooding events using a quadcopter – the area observed includes four critical infrastructure facilities in Kherson that have to do with water supply and drainage.

The population is being evacuated from flooded areas. At the same time, as reported by the Prosecutor General's Office, the Russians are shelling populated areas where evacuation is taking place.

It is reported that the flooding of the coastal zone of the lower part of the river could lead to an environmental disaster:

• the entire Kakhovka HPP is underwater due to the damage, the turbine hall has been damaged, and turbine oil has leaked into the water;
• a sharp drop in the reservoir’s water level could lead to a disruption in the operation of the cooling system of the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant;
• due to the flooding, it will be impossible to operate the North Crimean and Kakhovka canals after the liberation of the left-bank part of the Kherson Oblast until the Kakhovka HPP has been rebuilt;
• infectious diseases will spread;
• a significant area of fertile soil will be contaminated and rendered unfit for agricultural use, threatening food security;
• mass death of aquatic wildlife due to the disruption of the ecosystem of the Dnipro and the rivers flowing into its mouth;
• destruction of and damage to infrastructure facilities, private buildings and vehicles;
• the flooding of social infrastructure and the failure of sewage and drainage systems will leave a significant number of civilians without drinking water and electricity.

Background:

• On the morning of 6 June, Ukraine’s Operational Command Pivden (South) reported that Russian occupation forces had blown up the Kakhovka Hydroelectric Power Plant (HPP). The dam and the power plant's turbine hall were completely destroyed. The hydroelectric power plant is beyond repair. Preliminary forecasts indicate that the reservoir is expected to be drained within the next four days.
• Skhemy, an investigative reporting project by Radio Liberty, published the first satellite image of the Kakhovka Hydroelectric Power Plant (HPP) that was destroyed by the occupiers.
• The destruction of the Kakhovka Hydroelectric Power Plant caused an environmental catastrophe. The water from the reservoir has begun to flood towns and villages, and evacuations of local residents from dangerous areas have begun. The blowing up of the dam at the Kakhovka Hydroelectric Power Plant has caused problems with the water supply in the cities of Kryvyi Rih, Marhanets and Nikopol, Dnipropetrovsk Oblast.
• One week before the Kakhovka Hydroelectric Power Plant was blown up, Russia authorised the non-investigation of accidents at hazardous facilities that occurred because of "military operations" and terrorist attacks.
• Early reports indicate that the Kakhovka Hydroelectric Power Plant was blown up by the 205th Separate Cossack Motor Rifle Brigade of the Russian armed forces. Some of the names of the alleged accomplices are also known.

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