For the first time since the beginning of the war, the russia attacked the Kyiv dam: is there a scenario of complete dam failure

Q: What happened to the Kakhovka hydroelectric power station?

On the night of 6 June 2023, the russian army destroyed the dam of the Kakhovka hydroelectric power plant with the help of an explosion. A huge mass of water from the Kakhovka reservoir rapidly covered dozens of settlements on both banks of the Dnipro.

Q: How much water is there in the Kyiv reservoir?

The Kyiv reservoir is the highest in flow and consists of a cascade of six reservoirs on the Dnipro River. The volume of the hydraulic structure is almost 3.7 cubic kilometres of water, which is colossal.

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26 Aug. 2024

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For the first time since the beginning of the war, the russia attacked the Kyiv dam: is there a scenario of complete dam failure

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Ukraine

Damage to the Kyiv hydroelectric power station: consequences
Destroying the dam with missiles is unrealistic
Could the Kyiv hydroelectric power station collapse if russia continues to hit it?
What to do if the dam breaks?
Not the first such act of terrorism by russia

For the first time since the beginning of the war, the russia attacked the Kyiv dam: is there a scenario of complete dam failure

Russia has committed yet another act of terrorism against Ukrainian citizens by striking a dangerous strategic object in the north of Kiev - the Kiev Dam. Find out what the consequences are and whether there is any chance that the dam will collapse in the event of further shelling

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On 26 August, the russian army launched one of the most powerful air strikes against Ukraine since the start of the full-scale war. The russians used at least 126 missiles and 109 attack drones in the attack, most of which targeted Ukraine's energy facilities.

During their attack on 26 August, for the first time in 2.5 years, the russians struck the Kyiv hydroelectric power station, which is located north of the Ukrainian capital and holds back a large volume of water discharged into the Dnipro River.

Damage to the Kyiv hydroelectric power station: consequences

According to eyewitnesses, the russians sent about a dozen, if not more, missiles and drones at the dam in Kyiv region. However, the Ukrainian Air Defence Forces almost completely repelled the attack, with the exception of one or two air targets.

Footage of the destruction at the Kyiv hydroelectric power station has already appeared online. And, according to Forbes, citing energy industry sources, the plant did not suffer any critical damage.

Destroying the dam with missiles is unrealistic

According to Andriy Kovalenko, head of the Centre for Countering Disinformation at the National Security and Defence Council of Ukraine, it is impossible to destroy the dam of the Kyiv hydroelectric power plant as a result of missile strikes.

‘There are no threats to the Kyiv HPP dam. It is impossible to destroy it with missiles. There is no point in comparing it with the Kherson region - there was an explosion from the inside,’ Kovalenko wrote.

It is worth noting that the russian media segment immediately began to spread information after the strike that the Kyiv dam could collapse, but even scientists rule out this option.

Could the Kyiv hydroelectric power station collapse if russia continues to hit it?

Ukrainian Radio NV asked this question to Yevhen Khlobystov, Dean of the Faculty of Natural Sciences at the Kyiv Mohyla Academy.

He also confirmed that it is almost impossible to destroy the dam of the Kyiv hydroelectric power station using missiles.

‘It would require so many direct hits to the dams of the Kyiv hydroelectric power station that it is already in the realm of fantasy. Therefore, we do not expect any disasters in this regard,’ Khlobystov assures.

In addition, he said, even damage to the hydroelectric power station does not threaten Kyiv with severe consequences: ‘The suitability of the Kyiv Reservoir is not so great today that it would be a disaster for the entire city of Kyiv. Given that the dam itself cannot be completely destroyed. We will be talking about some flooding of the territory of Kyiv, but it will not be a catastrophe or a major disaster.

Regarding the worst-case scenario, the dean noted that the worst-case scenario for Kyiv could be the plant's withdrawal from generating capacity, which would temporarily lead to a shortage of energy supply for Kyiv.

What to do if the dam breaks?

It is worth noting that there are about 1,100 reservoirs in Ukraine, and Kyivska HPP is considered one of the largest of them.

Here are some tips in case of a flood threat:

- listen carefully to information and instructions;

- do not use the phone unnecessarily so that it is free to contact you;

- stay calm, warn your neighbours, help the disabled, children and the elderly;

- find out from local state and local government authorities where residents should gather for evacuation;

- prepare documents, clothes, necessary items, food for several days, and medicines. Keep your documents in a waterproof bag;

- disconnect all electrical appliances from the power supply, turn off the gas;

- Move more valuable items and food to upper floors or put them on top shelves.

Not the first such act of terrorism by russia

It is well known that the russian army is capable of doing desperate things to intimidate people in times of war. russians have repeatedly proved that they do not care about the consequences of aggression against civilians.

One of the most horrific acts of terrorism by the russian army was the blowing up of the Kakhovka dam in the Kherson region of Ukraine. As a result of the russian terrorist attack on the Kakhovka hydroelectric power station, water not only flooded entire towns, but also spread many deadly substances across southern Ukraine.

Ukraine is still dealing with the consequences of the Kakhovka hydroelectric power station explosion to this day.

We remind you! Ukraine's offensive in the Kursk region has been going on for about two weeks now. And details of how the country's military leadership planned the operation are already emerging. We will tell you about all the details of how the Commander-in-Chief of the Ukrainian Armed Forces came to order his soldiers to cross the russian border here.

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Frequantly

asked questions

How many hydropower plants are there in Ukraine?

Ukraine has seven large hydropower plants on the Dnieper and Dniester with a total design capacity of more than 4,000 MW. These plants are used to generate energy from the water masses that turn turbines.