““Russian forces may have hit the dam to cause significant long-term flooding west of the Kurakhiv Reservoir””, — write: www.radiosvoboda.org
ISW points out that Russia denies its involvement in the destruction of the dam, although some “militants” wrote about the heavy shelling of the Terniv dam by Russian forces.
“Russian forces may have struck the dam to cause significant, long-term flooding west of the Kurakhiv Reservoir, which could aid Russia’s efforts to encircle Ukrainian forces north and south of the Kurakhiv,” analysts suggest.
The institute points out that Russian troops are currently conducting offensive actions to the north, southeast, south and southwest of Kurakhovo as part of a broader effort to eliminate the Ukrainian salient in the Kurakhovo direction. Russian offensive operations to the northwest and north of Kurakhovo along the Sontsivka-Voznesenka-Novoselidivka line are aimed at advancing southwest and south to engage Ukrainian forces north of the Kurakhovo Reservoir.
Read also: General Staff: there were 185 combat clashes at the front during the day, the most – in the Kurakhiv direction
The Russian army is also attacking with a wide front on the Shakhtarske-Trudove-Antonivka line to cover the Ukrainian salient south of Kurakhovo.
“The Kurakhiv Reservoir is a significant water barrier separating Ukrainian factions north and south of Kurakhovo, and Russian forces may have struck the Terniv Dam to flood settlements along the Vovcha River west of the reservoir, widening the water barrier separating these Ukrainian groups,” the report says.
However, ISW notes that the potential benefits to the Russian military are “currently unclear” as the extent and duration of the flooding remains unknown.
The day before, the head of the Donetsk region reported that the Russian military damaged the dam of the Kurakhiv reservoir. Because of this, there is a threat of flooding for residents of settlements in Donetsk and Dnipropetrovsk regions.