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https://theconversation.com/ukraine-war-what-we-know-about-the-nova-kakhovka-dam-and-who-gains-from-its-destruction-207130>
"The destruction of the Nova Kakhovka dam came just as Ukraine’s
much-anticipated counter-offensive seemed poised to begin.
The breaching of the dam, apparently caused by a massive explosion or
explosions has spilled water from a reservoir with a volume of 16.4km³ across a
huge area of the Kherson region of Russian-occupied southern Ukraine. Thousands
of people have been evacuated.
The dam’s destruction has led Moscow and Kyiv to accuse each other of what is
arguably a war crime. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov was conveniently
well-prepared with his statement that: “We can already unequivocally declare
(this was) deliberate sabotage by the Ukrainian side,” declaring that Kyiv’s
aim was to deprive Crimea of water.
There are precedents in Russia’s history for such action. Stalin ordered the
destruction of a dam across the Dnipro river in 1941 in the face of invading
German forces. Russia also practised a scorched earth policy during Napoleon’s
invasion in 1812, leaving the French army little to live on and only the
burning ruins of Moscow to capture. Devastating destruction of things that it
claims to value appears part of the Russian way of war."
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
