Security Service of Ukraine exposes Russian general responsible for Kakhovka dam destruction
Photo: SBU names the organizer of the Kakhovka Hydroelectric Power Plant sabotage (facebook.com/Ukrhydroenergo)
Russian Major General Vladimir Omelyanovich has been charged by the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) for orchestrating the sabotage of the Kakhovka Hydroelectric Power Plant, which resulted in the deaths of dozens of civilians and the destruction of entire communities.
The Security Service of Ukraine has collected evidence against a high-ranking Russian military official who participated in orchestrating the sabotage of the Kakhovka Hydroelectric Power Plant in the temporarily occupied left-bank part of the Kherson region.
The case concerns Russian Major General Vladimir Omelyanovich, Chief of Staff and First Deputy Commander of the Dniepr group of the aggressor country’s armed forces.
According to the investigation, on the night of June 5–6, 2023, he directly coordinated the actions of his subordinates in the mine-explosive destruction of the Kakhovka Hydroelectric Power Plant dam.
As a result of the destruction of the hydraulic structure, catastrophic flooding occurred, leading to the deaths of 35 civilians and the disappearance of 24 more residents of the region.
The rapid spread of large volumes of water also caused the flooding of 46 settlements and 1,323 hectares of agricultural land in the Kherson region. Among them were 14 affected communities in the temporarily occupied part of the region.
In addition, the dam’s destruction disrupted water supply in the Kherson, Mykolaiv, and Dnipropetrovsk regions, as well as in temporarily occupied Crimea.
The uncontrolled flooding submerged 55,000 hectares of forest and at least 81,000 hectares of protected natural areas and industrial sites in southern Ukraine.
It also created a threat to the maintenance of the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant due to disruptions in the cooling system of the facility.
Based on the collected evidence, investigators of the Security Service of Ukraine have charged Omelyanovich in absentia under Part 2 of Article 28 and Part 2 of Article 438 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine, specifically for war crimes combined with premeditated murder, committed by a group of persons acting in concert.
Comprehensive measures are currently underway to hold all responsible Russian military personnel accountable for their crimes against Ukraine.
Sabotage of the Kakhovka Hydroelectric Power Plant
On the night of June 6, 2023, Russian forces carried out the destruction of the Kakhovka Hydroelectric Power Plant, which led to serious consequences.
Water from the reservoir flooded numerous settlements in Kherson, Mykolaiv, Zaporizhzhia, and Dnipropetrovsk regions.
The most severe situation at the time was observed in the Kherson region, particularly in the temporarily occupied part of the area. Enemy forces refused to evacuate civilians and further hindered rescue efforts by carrying out shelling.
Earlier, in an interview with RBC-Ukraine, geobotanist Yakiv Didukh, who conducted expeditions at the Kakhovka Reservoir, noted that the reservoir’s bottom is overgrown with a unique willow forest.
He believes that in 20 years it could become the largest willow massif in Europe.
RBC-Ukraine has also reported on the current situation at the Kakhovka Reservoir and the forecasts for its future.
