Ukraine: Russian strikes on a dam flood the birthplace of Volodymyr Zelensky

Published on: 09/19/2022 – 18:40 Several videos show flooded houses in Kryvyï Rih, in central Ukraine. A consequence of the bombardment of a hydraulic dam by the Russian forces, Wednesday September 14, which caused the flood of the Inhoulets river and the evacuation of civilians in the city located a few kilometers away. Since February 24 and the start of the invasion of Ukraine, the Russian armed forces have regularly targeted strategic Ukrainian civilian installations. In the afternoon of Wednesday September 14, several missiles hit the Karachun hydraulic dam, in about ten kilometers from the city center of Kryvyï Rih, in the Dnipropetrovsk oblast. In a message broadcast the same day on Telegram, the head of the city’s military administration, Oleksandr Vilkoul, mentioned “eight cruise missiles, [tirés] in an attempt to flood part of the city”. Dam in Kryvyi Rih, destroyed today by Russian missiles. The water in river Inhulets is still rising. Russian propagandists are praising the attack on critical civilian infrastructure. No doubt Russia is a terrorist state.pic.twitter.com/EijD0P0Wge— Maria Avdeeva (@maria_avdv) September 14, 2022 The missiles damaged the top of the dam causing an increase in the flow of the Inhoulets River © Local rescuers According to the Institute for the study 8 Russian rocket strikes on Kryvyi Rih today.Rockets were directed at hydraulic structures.This caused water level of Inhulets river to increase, threatening the city. Russia obviously wants to cause a crisis situation, – deputy head of Presidential office Kyrylo Tymoshenko pic.twitter.com/t7jf6E1qT0— Anton Gerashchenk o (@Gerashchenko_en) September 14, 2022 In particular, a floating bridge was destroyed by the rising waters. Images posted on social networks show several submerged streets in the city: A bridge under water after the destruction of the dam, on the evening of September 14. © Observers Many homes, located near the river, were flooded. © @squatsons According to Kyrylo Tymoshenko, Deputy Chief of Staff of Volodymyr Zelensky, the water level of the Inhoulets River nearly doubled after the strikes. The basements and ground floors of many residents were affected, and the local authorities evacuated several areas of Kryvyi Rih the first night. On the images accompanying Kyrylo Tymoshenko’s message, we can see rescuers in inflatable boats evacuating residents. Situation under control Despite material damage, the situation on site was visibly less catastrophic than feared by the city authorities. Contacted by our team on Friday, our Observer Pavlo lives in Kryvyï Rih: I live quite far from the dam which was hit. And also quite a distance from the river itself. Our district is supplied with water from another reservoir, which is located south of the city. I was almost unaffected. But some areas are still without a water supply, and people living in houses near the river were evacuated on the first night. Panic buying of water pic.twitter.com/cSGvO35pqr— C4H10FO2P (@markito0171) September 14, 2022 This video of Kryvyi Rih residents buying packs of water following Russian strikes has been widely circulated, the water supply of part of the city having been affected. The Russians have been trying to hit the barrage for three days. There were three or four explosions again today. Two days after the bombardment of the dam, the Inhoulets river turned red. In question, the creation of locks to lower the water level, filled with “rubble, clay and crushed stone” provided by companies in the region. The red color of the river is linked to the presence of iron ore, which gives this recognizable color. © @ligeja_l Samples taken by the State Environmental Inspectorate, however, reported an abnormally high presence of iron and ammoniacal nitrogen in the waters of the river, which continues to decline. Our Observer Pavlo, joins this Monday morning, estimated that “the water level seemed almost back to normal”. Despite a still reddish color, the Inhoulets river seems to have returned to its usual level on Sunday September 18. Earlier in the week, this bridge was underwater according to our Observer. © Observers