Major dam destroyed in southern Ukraine
NBCDec 27, 2022
Russia and Ukraine Exchange Blame for Breach of Major Dam
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Image copyright: [via Wikimedia Commons]
The Facts
The Nova Kakhovka dam in southern Ukraine collapsed in the early hours of Tuesday — prompting Russia and Ukraine to trade blame for the ecological disaster which has already caused flooding in dozens of towns and settlements.
The dam, built in 1956 as part of the Kakhovka hydroelectric power plant, is 30 meters (98 feet) high and hundreds of meters wide. Upstream from the city of Kherson, it traverses across the massive Dnipro River which runs through all of Ukraine, including the middle of Kherson Oblast.
The Spin
Pro-Ukraine narrative
In blowing up the Kakhovka dam, Russia has committed an egregious war crime as well as the largest man-made ecological disaster in Europe in decades. It must pay the price for this act of eco-terrorism.
Pro-Russia narrative
What would Russia gain from cutting off the water supply to Crimea which it considers its territory? This is unequivocally an act of sabotage carried out by Ukraine, probably to distract from its already faltering counteroffensive.
Establishment-critical narrative
As much as this is a hot war between Russia and Ukraine, it's also an information war where both sides are disseminating vast amounts of propaganda for their own geopolitical objectives. It's very easy to make snap judgments and be seduced by simple narratives. A serious examination is needed before any conclusions can be reached — including exploring the possibility of a simple structural failure causing this tragic disaster.
