The "New York Times" reported today, Friday, citing an American official, that an American reconnaissance satellite detected an explosion at the Kakhovka Dam in Ukraine just before its collapse, releasing large amounts of water into surrounding areas earlier this week. The official explained to the newspaper that satellites equipped with infrared sensors recorded a thermal signature consistent with a large explosion. He mentioned that U.S. intelligence analysts suspect that Russia is responsible for the dam's destruction, but intelligence agencies do not have strong evidence pointing to who is behind it.
Ukrainian Security Service
The Ukrainian security service reported that it intercepted a phone call proving that a Russian "sabotage group" blew up the Kakhovka hydroelectric power station in the Kherson region early Tuesday. The agency published a one-and-a-half-minute audio clip on its Telegram channel of the alleged conversation, in which two men appeared to discuss the ramifications of the disaster in Russian. Reuters could not independently verify the authenticity of the recording. One of the speakers in the call, described by the Ukrainian security service as a Russian soldier, said, "They (the Ukrainians) did not hit it. This was our sabotage group... They wanted to scare people with this dam." He added, "But it did not go according to plan, and (they) did more than they intended." He stated that "thousands" of animals died as a result in a "safari park" located downstream. The second man expressed surprise in the conversation that the soldier confirmed that Russian forces had destroyed the dam and power station. The agency did not disclose further details about the conversation or the participants. It stated that it had opened a criminal investigation into war crimes and "environmental genocide." In a statement, it said, "The agency's (interception of the call) confirms that the Kakhovka (hydroelectric power station) was blown up by a sabotage group of the occupiers... The invaders wanted to blackmail Ukraine by blowing up the dam and caused a man-made disaster in the south of our country."
Norwegian Institute
The Norwegian Seismological Institute also reported that it detected an explosion coinciding with the destruction of the Kakhovka Dam in Ukraine.
Borrell
Josep Borrell, the EU's foreign policy chief, indicated today, Friday, that "all indications apparently suggest that Russia was behind the destruction of the Kakhovka Dam, which Moscow and Kyiv blame each other for targeting." He added in an interview with Spanish television: "The dam was not bombed. It was destroyed by explosives placed in areas where turbines are located. This area is under Russian control." He continued, "I was not on the ground to know who did it. But all indications suggest that if it happened in an area controlled by the Russians, it is hard for another party to be responsible for it." Borrell stated: "In any case, the consequences for Ukraine are terrible, from various perspectives: from a humanitarian perspective regarding the displaced, and from an environmental perspective because the destruction of the dam will lead to an environmental disaster."
