Ukraine blames Russian-occupied dam for flooded village

Ukrainian resident Ihor Medunov wades through the water in the ruined kitchen appliances of his house, in the village of Lysohirka, in the Zaporizhzhia region. He visited the hunting village regularly in peacetime. Today everything is underwater. Local residents of the island community and Ukrainian officials blame the Russian occupation of the vast Nova Kakhovka dam, over 100 miles (160 km) downstream, for the flooding. With about a week to go before his 69th birthday, Medunov remembers the parties at the house. “We used to sit on bench, and now it is vice-versa: we sit on the table with our feet are on the bench,“ Medunov said. There will be no party this year at this well-kept plot of land now submerged under water. Before the war, Medunov said there would be as many as 50 people living in the recreational community during the warm months. Now, despite the May heat, there were only six. “Such a shame! Not only there is war, now there is this flooding,” Medunov said. He said the water level started rising sharply over a month ago, sometimes by up to 30 centimeters a day, and had remained stubbornly high after reaching its current level. The hunting village sits just 15 miles (24 km) from Ukraine’s southern frontline and residents are worried because they can’t shelter from shelling because the basements are water-logged. The Kakhovka dam, one of six dams on the River Dnipro that carves through Ukraine, was captured at the start of Moscow’s Feb. 2022 invasion. The state-owned company which owns the dams, Ukrhydroenergo, blames Russia for the flooding in the Zaporizhzhia region and says the water level is a meter higher than usual at this time of year. But it said it was unable to say what exactly Russian forces were doing at the dam because it did not have access itself. The Russian Defence Ministry did not immediately respond to a written request for comment about the Ukrainian allegation. A Russian energy official warned earlier this month that the dam risked being overwhelmed by record-high water levels. Both Russia and Ukraine have repeatedly accused each other of planning to breach the dam using explosives, in a move that would flood much of the area downstream in what would likely cause major destruction. Russia also accused Ukraine of firing a rocket at the dam last November. Medunov’s son, 39-year-old Dmytro, said the cost of repairs would devastate his family: “Inside it’s all rotten, all covered in mold... Wood, insulation. The costs will be very painful.“ Dmytro lives in the regional capital, Zaporizhzhia, and visited the island every weekend until the invasion. His visits have become rarer due to a wartime ban on civilian craft on this stretch of the river. He now has to catch lifts from police or military boats, which are currently the island’s only lifeline for food and supplies. Medunov and his wife Natalia who have five dogs plan to stay on the island rather than move to Zaporizhzhia with their son. If the water level rises further, they may move to another building, he said. The Sun newspaper brings you the latest breaking news videos and explainers from the UK and around the world Become a Sun Subscriber and hit the bell to be the first to know Read The Sun: Like The Sun on Facebook: Follow The Sun on Twitter: Subscribe to The Sun on Snapchat: #flood #ukraine #russia