Russian invaders have opened the floodgates on the Kakhovka reservoir. After that, the water level fell to the lowest level in the last 30 years. The National Security and Defense Council notes that the enemy continues to use nuclear facilities to blackmail the world.
It is known that without water in the Kakhovka reservoir, the cooling system of the Zaporozhye nuclear power plant will not be able to work. There are other risks from the actions of the Russians.
What are the Russians doing at the Kakhovskaya HPP
The water level in the Kakhovka reservoir began to decrease as early as November 2022. Indeed, on November 11, 2022, the Russian military blew up the road above the dam of the Kakhovskaya hydroelectric power station. The explosion did not damage the locks then.
However, after that it turned out that the Russians had deliberately opened additional locks.
The result is stunning. Radar altimetry data show that the current level of the reservoir is about two meters below its usual height, the message says.
Moreover, since December 2022, the water level in the reservoir has fallen to the lowest level in 30 years of satellite observations.
What the Kakhovka Reservoir looked like on January 2, 2023/Photo by Connie Hanzhang Jin/NPR
The publication notes that the Russians could deliberately resort to such actions. In particular, to slow down the movement of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. In addition, a decrease in the water level in the Kakhovka reservoir also threatens:
- agricultural production on the left bank of Kherson;
- problems with drinking water in Berdyansk, Melitopol, Energodar, which are controlled by the Russian occupiers.
Meteorologist David Helms said that Russia wants to prevent Ukraine from exporting agricultural products in order to further harm its economy: “This it's the same as turning off the power grid”.
The publication, referring to the opinion of experts, believes that the goal of the Russians is “scorched earth” in the territory that they publicly declared to be theirs.
< em>Russians drain the Kakhovskoe reservoir/NPR Photo
What they say about the situation in Ukraine
On February 11, Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine Oleksiy Danilov said on the air of the telethon that terrorists seized a dangerous energy facility back in March 2022. According to him, the IAEA and other institutions did not react accordingly.
What is happening today with the Zaporozhye nuclear power plant is a rather dangerous situation. Russia, as a terrorist country, should be responsible for all this … I would think that it would not turn out that there would be some kind of catastrophe, and the fact that they are going to blackmail this issue as one of the elements – these are the things that for us absolutely understandable,” said Danilov.
According to the Zaporozhye Regional Military Administration, as of February 7, the water level in the Kakhovka reservoir is rapidly declining. After all, the volume of discharge exceeds the volume of filling.
Deputy Head of the Zaporizhzhya OVA Gennady Timchenko said that a significant decrease in the water level in the Kakhovka reservoir negatively affects the technical processes at the ZNPP.
The level of 13.2 meters is the minimum for water intake into the cooling tank. If the water supply is stopped, problems will begin with the cooling of the reactors, which will lead to a catastrophe, Timchenko said.
The regional administration said that the situation with the supply of water to the reactor cooling ponds at the ZNPP requires regulation with the participation of the IAEA. After all, Ukraine does not have access to the object.
