Russia on Wednesday questioned what the US might have known about Ukrainian plans to attack the Nova Kakhovka Dam in southern Ukraine using a US-provided HIMARS system.
The Russian-controlled dam was destroyed early Tuesday, and the Russians and Ukrainians are trading blame for the incident, which has caused massive flooding and forced thousands of people to evacuate. The destruction of the dam also threatens the water supply to Crimea.
In December 2022, The Washington Post reported that Ukraine considered attacking the dam during its counteroffensive in Kherson last year, citing a conversation with Maj. Gen. Andriy Kovalchuk, who led the offensive for Kyiv. The report said Ukraine even conducted a test strike on the dam using a US-provided HIMARS rocket system.
“Kovalchuk considered flooding the river.” The Post reported. “The Ukrainians, he said, even conducted a test strike with a HIMARS launcher on one of the floodgates at the Nova Kakhovka dam, making three holes in the metal to see if the Dnieper’s water could be raised enough to stymie Russian crossings but not flood nearby villages. The test was a success, Kovalchuk said.”
Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said Wednesday that US officials must be asked if they were aware of the Ukrainian plans. “Were you aware of how American weapons, the weapons that are being supplied to Ukraine, are used?” she said.
“That trial tests of a terrorist attack against civilian infrastructure in third countries are being made? These are the questions that we directly pose in the public space before the White House; you must answer them,” Zakharova added.
While Ukraine and some members of Congress immediately blamed Russia for the attack on the dam, the White House wouldn’t back up the claim on Tuesday. “We’ve seen the reports that Russia was responsible for the explosion … But we cannot say conclusively what happened at this point,” said White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby.
The Kremlin said Tuesday that the canal that provides 85% of Crimea’s water was rapidly becoming shallower as a result of the dam’s destruction. Ukraine cut off Crimea’s access to the canal in 2014, and it was only restored after Russia took control of the area after the February 2022 invasion. Securing the water supply to Crimea was one of Russia’s motives for invading.
Everyday the madness of this conflict in Ukraine brings humanity closer to the unthinkable.
Indeed, that is the plan to incrementally mass a political commitment, a popular “will to war”, sufficient to destroy Russia & China; and Vilnius will guage how close we’re getting.
Even on Russian State TV they know that the Gmlrs Rockets the Ukraine has for the HIMARS would be quite incapable of bringing down the dam.
It’s Novaya Kakhovka, Dave. Learn to read before you write.
US and NATO unconditionally supported Wahhabi terrorists in Chechnya until those terrorists were completely eliminated on Chechen territory. In Ukraine they are doing the same only on a bigger scale. Instead of Wahhabi radical ideology they use now neo-Nazi ideology but the tactics are the same. There are no reason to doubt that US and NATO will support the terrorism in Ukraine until the radicals are completely eliminated from Ukrainian territory the same they were eliminated in Chechnya.
Russia was successful in Chechnya because Chechen people opted for traditional Islam. Ukrainian issue is more complicated because of ideological and religious division between the west and the south-east. Unfortunately, Chechen success story can’t be reproduced in Ukraine. Only peace deal between US and Russia can bring the peace to Ukrainian people.
There is no chance of that now. It would have been possible 9 years ago if Anglo-American empire instead of invading Kiev and occupying Ukraine would have retracted to 91 borders and removed occupation forces from Warsaw Alliance countries. Today even simple negotiation with terrorist empire is impossible. Like nazi Germany, this imperial aggressor must be completely destroyed. No other choice left.
Sometimes empires are destroyed from within.
That was the point. Ukraine was the perfect place to war against Russia, without risking American soldiers.
Terrorism in Ukraine!! GTFOH. You are drowned in Kremlin Kool Aid.
I’m sure you strongly support the Russian invasion of Ukraine too.
So the Ukrainian commander entertained the idea of destroying the Dam but it was the Russians who said “hold my beer” and without warning and regard to civilians, animals, infrastructure, and the environment blew up the dam which is not the first for revenge and to thwart the counteroffensive. How sick. I guess the SMO is still going according to plans.
Then Mr. Shoigu reported to have destroyed 8 Leopard tanks. He backed his claims with video footage of the attacking K-52 helicopter destroying Farm Tractors. He also claimed to have killed 1,500 Ukrainian troops. Lol. These folks are desperate for a win.
Presumably the US would have had to supply the co-ordinates and trajectory. The Nazis have no satellites.
What, you think the Ukrainians didn’t know where the dam was?
Long-range artillery has been a thing for more than a century.
Yes but it always took about a thousand shots to home in on it; and even than precision of this nature would have only been luck.
https://www.indianpunchline.com/kakhovka-dam-breach-is-a-perfect-crime/
Kakhovka Dam Breach is a Perfect Crime. Authored by MK Bhadrakumar.
Interesting theory, that the elderly dam may have collapsed on its own…
All things considered, I doubt it.
The Ukrainians might prefer a free pass re the incident. The Russians aren’t buying this schtick.
I would tend to agree.
…. questions US knowledge of previous plans ….
Just like Olav Schitz, another know nothing.
They forgot to mention that for months the Ukrainians have been intentionally overfilling the dam’s reservoir knowing it would exacerbate the flood damage should the dam be blown or fail due to added stress.
The dip$h!tz at the NYT have the gall to suggest the Russians blew up a dam that mostly damaged Russian controlled territory. And Zelinsky has the audacity to criticize the international community for not cleaning up the dam he blew up fast enough. We are officially dealing with the league of Ass holz.
Poor planning on the Russian side like the have been for over a year now. Just like their invasion. They may be good chess players but f k, cannot apply that to the battlefield.
You should really read some history about this. We started this war in 2014. He responded exactly how career scholars and diplomats in that arena expected he would. In other words we wanted this war more than Zelinski, who was on record stating a war with Russia would destroy the country and end badly. Just like it has.
We have wanted this war since the end of WWII. We just had to figure out how to do it without risking American soldiers. Voila’ Ukraine was the answer. Step by step, then cross the reddest of red lines in Ukraine, and, success!!! The MIC makes bank, EU get inflation and is within shooting distance of Russia. Wow! What a plan! Now, if I can only find a non-used bomb shelter………………….
Yes, and what is more troubling is the push to start a war with China at the same time. Somethign tells me it’s going to backfire if they think Taiwan is going to actually put up a worthy fight. Logistically, if you compare our conventional optins, were going to suffer heavy losses and casualties over an unnecssary war. These idiots should have address where chips were made 30 years ago instead of leaving us vulnerable.
This is why Russia is losing. That mentality of Ukrainians being sub humans and not having their own identity is SICK.
https://youtu.be/mm98czlX-uw
Washington and European politicians are running that war.
Of course they directed that operation as well.
Nah, Russians placed the explosives last fall on their way out.
And no Ukrainian EOD would be stupid enough to either get shot on their way to defuse the charges or get blown up when spotted by the Russian holding the clicker.
Sure Donny…
Why did you upvote “Donny”, then make your statement?
I like to encourage the “special” among us.
Perhaps it’s a remnant of my past employment working in the Human services field among those less fortunate than the rest of us (in that short bus way)?
https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/9b598eb40d9905754c9073e6f7693d0bcca6e67332cd359cce6d48f64384ee16.jpg
Here is your less fortunate. A Ukrainian family shelled by Russians who didn’t give civilians a chance to flee the town to include their two dogs. All killed. There are many more photos like this thanks to Putin.
I had no idea people died in wars…..
😂
ZaSu, you’re a real pip, ya know that? 😁
I find your responses endlessly entertaining!
Great social strategy. Being nice works both ways 🙂
I actually kind of like the guy when he isn’t attacking just to be attacking. Sometimes people just want to argue or attack others but with him once he calms down he’s all right. With others you can tell they just want to “get you” at times and it’s time to bail.
Hey, don’t kick her out of the Russian team, she was only messing with me. Don’t report her to the Kremlin. I don’t want anybody to get hurt.
There is a CCTV camera video from the Ukraine side showing the bridge blew up from within and there is also even more evidence of Russians placing explosives in the Dam last Fall.
I’m still waiting on the counter evidence from the Kremlin.
Here’s a secret: you won’t see any.
The water from the dam flows mostly to areas Russia is occupying inhibited by ethnic Russian or pro-Russian Ukrainians. Why would Russia blow up a dam and flood themselves? Do reporters in Ukraine even notice that?
Because just like they have shown over and over again, they are incompetent and cannot even shoot a rifle without killing their own team.