Kakhovka Dam Destroyed: Another Russian War Crime

June 6, 2023October 28, 2025

The world now closely follows one issue in the Ukrainian and European information space: the Kakhovka dam destroyed by ruSSian forces. New information has already appeared online naming the officer who gave the order. Investigators also published a list of servicemen from the 1st Battalion of the 205th Motorized Rifle Brigade. These soldiers directly carried out the demolition of the dam.

Timeline of Events

On June 6 at 2:35 and 2:54 AM, seismic sensors in Ukraine and Romania detected signs of powerful explosions. And US reconnaissance satellites equipped with infrared sensors recorded signs of heat corresponding to a strong explosion in the area of the Kakhovka reservoir dam. That same morning, according to an official report from the Operational Command “South” of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, the world learned about the man-made catastrophe at the Kakhovka HPP.

Eyewitnesses heard powerful explosions at 2:15 and 3:00 in the hydroelectric power plant area. Water level measurements of the Kakhovka reservoir, which dropped below the upper edge of the concrete foundation, gave grounds to assert that the Kakhovka HPP suffered damage from an explosion inside the base. Russian troops who captured and controlled it after invading Ukraine on February 24, 2022, committed this act.

Since the dam was built during Soviet times, the Pidars* had full engineering documentation. They knew exactly where the structure had its most vulnerable points. Engineers built the foundation to withstand almost any external attack. However, charges planted inside the service corridor and the tunnel through the foundation can destroy the dam from within. That is what made this war crime technically possible.

War Crime: Who Gave the Order

It’s important to understand that such actions equal using weapons of mass destruction. Those involved are unconditionally war criminals and terrorists. Therefore, at best, they should be eliminated. At worst — brought to trial.

Colonel-General Oleg Makarevich, commander of the “Dnepr” group of troops, personally gave the order to blow up the Kakhovka HPP to the 205th motorized rifle brigade. This scumbag gave the order himself. Below is an incomplete list of his subordinates who directly executed it:

The partisan movement of Crimean Tatars ATESH, which has several liquidations of collaborators and occupying forces’ servicemen to its credit, already stated it received exhaustive data about who was involved in this crime. Moreover, they publicly declared a hunt for all these actors.

Enemy’s Weak Defense

Also now it’s becoming clear the left bank of the Dnipro under water was simply studded with anti-tank mines. These mines were supposed to cover it from a possible landing operation. Now these mines began spontaneously exploding, opening the bank for troop passage. This shows the Armed Forces of Ukraine how the enemy defended this bank. This will allow making appropriate adjustments for arranging passages for advancing troops.

If the enemy still has a self-preservation instinct, they already need to leave the Dnipro somewhere they can try to hold defense. The reservoir has almost ceased being a key element of the defensive line. Otherwise, they need to increase by many times the saturation of the coastal defense system with forces and means. But intensive underwater mining of the river’s coastal part just shows such forces and means were never there.

Understanding the situation, the enemy a priori already decided to leave and is simply destroying all possible infrastructure. We’ll see the consequences in the coming days, and possibly even hours. Meanwhile, numerous videos have appeared online showing water flowing from the Crimean Canal into the Dnipro. The impact on the northern part of Crimea probably needs no explanation. Kakhovka dam destroyed — a clear signal that the Pidars does not expect to stay.

*Pidar (pronounced “pidar”) – Ukrainian military slang for an enemy combatant. In radio communications, the word “Pidar” sounds shorter and clearer than “Enemy” especially under EW.