Ukrainian dam destroyed causing mass flood in Kherson region

06-08-2023

Jakob Lindelöf

Europe and Human Rights Researcher, 

Global Human Rights Defence

On the 6th of June 2023, the Kakhovka Dam in the Ukrainian region of Kherson was destroyed, sending large amounts of water downstream and flooding large areas including surrounding farmlands, towns and cities. Since the June 6th, groups of people have been evacuated from affected areas while thousands remaining have been left without drinking water, lack electricity and have had their homes destroyed. At least three victims were reported in the initial reports of the incident (Stepanenko, 2023).

On June 8th, as rescue and evacuation operations continue, Ukraine has accused Russia of shelling the areas affected with artillery (Gadzo et al., 2023). Al Jazeera reported that one person was killed and eight wounded in the city of Kherson, which has had large parts impacted by the destruction of the dam.

Both sides in the war have accused one another of destroying the dam. However, at the moment, it is not clear who is responsible for this disaster, or if the dam collapsed deliberately or due to structural failure (Pennington et al., 2023). Ukrainian authorities are investigating the incident as an act of  “ecocide”. The deliberate targeting of dams is a violation of Article 56 of the Geneva Convention if it causes harm to civilian populations.

With Ukraine’s long awaited counter-offensive to recapture territory from Russian forces, the destruction of the dam could have been deliberate in order to create a hindrance to a Ukrainian advance and bolster Russian defences. If so, it would be a violation of the Geneva Convention and could potentially constitute a war crime.

Sources and further reading:

Gadzo, M., Mohamed, E. & Mohamed H. (2023, June 8). Ukraine, Russia updates: 

Accusations traded over Kherson shelling. Al Jazeera. Retrieved from https://www.aljazeera.com/news/liveblog/2023/6/8/live-nato-says-ukraines-victory-over-russia-remains-priority

Pennington, J., Shelley, J., Voitovych, O., Kesaieva, J. & Regan, H. (2023,  June 7). Collapse 

of Ukraine’s Nova Kakhovka dam an ‘ecological catastrophe’. CNN. Retrieved from https://edition.cnn.com/2023/06/07/europe/ukraine-nova-kakhovka-dam-environment-damage-intl-hnk/index.html

Stepanenko, V. (2023, June 8). Flood from dam break strands hundreds and leaves thousands 

with no drinking water in Ukraine. AP News. Retrieved from https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-war-kakhovka-dam-flood-evacuation-35cd520a20057c50194c5619b1554dfb