Ukraine asserted on Friday that it intercepted a telephone conversation between Russian military that "confirms" that Moscow's saboteurs destroyed the Nova Kakhovka dam, while Norwegian seismologists disclosed that they detected a potential explosion around the time of the dam's collapse.
SBU, Ukraine's domestic security agency, uploaded a 45-second audio recording to its Telegram channel in which two men can be heard discussing the aftermath of the dam collapse in Russian.
Ukraine Claims It Has Evidence Russia Blew Up Major Dam
Per NY Post, the individual on the recording states that "thousands" of animals were slaughtered at a "safari park" downstream of Nova Kakhovka as a result of the collapse of the dam.
The individual on the other end of the line expresses astonishment at the soldier's claim that the Russians destroyed the dam, which had been under their control since the initial months of the invasion.
Moscow has not commented on the phone call's contents. The SBU provided no additional information regarding the conversation or its participants. It stated that a criminal investigation had been launched into war crimes and "ecocide."
In the meantime, seismic data gathered by the NORSAR observatory in Norway at 2:54 a.m. local time on June 6 indicated an explosion; the detonation's timing coincided with media reports of the dam's collapse.
A senior Biden administration official told The New York Times on Friday that American surveillance satellites detected an explosion at the massive hydroelectric station just before it collapsed, bolstering the argument that the calamitous inundation in Ukraine was the result of an intentional act.
Kakhovka Dam Strike
The flood caused by the dam failure killed at least nine people and displaced thousands more, according to officials. Thursday, several hundred Ukrainians were rescued from rooftops in the inundation zone.
Russia has refuted culpability for the dam's destruction and accused Ukraine of sabotaging the site to divert international attention away from the commencement of its failing counteroffensive.
According to NORSAR, the explosion occurred within 30 to 50 miles of the dam. Nevertheless, additional evidence from surveillance footage and Telegram channels indicates that the dam was breached before 2:54 a.m.
At 2:46 a.m., security footage reviewed by BBC Verify reveals that the dam was compromised. Additionally, local Telegram users reported hearing explosions at 2:18 a.m. and 2:40 a.m.
Ukrainian intelligence had previously asserted that Russia had planted explosives at the dam in April 2022, with President Volodymyr Zelensky accusing Moscow of plotting a "historical catastrophe."
According to the Associated Press, officials on both sides of the conflict have reported that at least 14 people have perished as a result of the flooding, while thousands more have been rendered destitute and hundreds of thousands lack access to potable water.
The prosecutor general of Ukraine said rescue operations in Kherson, the largest city affected by inundation, were hampered by Russian bombardment on Thursday, which resulted in the death of one civilian and the injury of two others even as evacuations were ongoing.
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