Dnipro River should return to its banks by June 16 after dam collapse, says Russian-backed official

MOSCOW – The southern reach of the Dnipro River is likely to return to its banks by Friday following a vast flood unleashed by the breach of Ukraine’s Nova Kakhovka dam, a Russian-installed official said on Saturday.

The flood has inundated towns and villages below the dam, trapping residents and sweeping away entire houses on both sides of the Dnipro, which separates Ukrainian-controlled Kherson province from the southern section that Russian forces control.

Mr Vladimir Saldo, who heads the Russian-controlled part, said the water level at Nova Kakhovka, the town adjacent to the dam on the downstream side, had dropped by 3m from last Tuesday’s peak. “The pumping of water and garbage collection from the streets have started,” he said.

Late on Saturday, Mr Saldo added that almost 7,000 people had been evacuated from the flooded districts of Nova Kakhovka, including 323 children, while 77 people had been hospitalised.

He said preliminary calculations by Russian hydroelectricity producer RusHydro indicated the Dnipro would return to its usual course below the now-destroyed Kakhovka power station by Friday.

He accused Ukraine of shelling temporary refuges for those displaced by the flood, saying one woman had died as the result. He posted a picture of a destroyed building, saying it was a hotel.

Reuters could not independently verify the assertion of shelling, which echoed similar allegations made in recent days.

There was no immediate comment from Kyiv.

Ukraine has also accused Moscow’s forces of shelling and killing civilians located in flooded territory that it controls. It also said Russia blew up the hydroelectric power station and dam from inside the plant, which had been under Russian control since the early weeks of what Russia calls a “special military operation” more than a year ago.

Moscow has blamed Ukraine for the breach. REUTERS