"The Kakhovka dam explosion flooded towns on the front lines of the Russia-Ukraine war. The long-term consequences could be just as severe, new findings show."
"The destruction of Ukraine’s Kakhovka dam in June 2023 exposed lake bed sediment containing more than 90,000 tons of dangerous heavy metals, setting off what researchers say is a toxic “time bomb.”
An early-morning blast on June 6, 2023, sent torrents of water surging through a breach in the mammoth Soviet-era structure, which had been in Russian hands since the year before, when it was seized early in the full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Russian and Ukrainian-controlled settlements along the Dnieper River were engulfed in floods, which forced mass evacuations and left dozens of people dead.
The rush of water out of one of Europe’s largest reservoirs submerged local flora and fauna, upending fragile ecosystems along the riverbank and in the Black Sea. Industrial pollutants, untreated sewage and waste from flooded factories and cities downstream were swept into the river, contaminating drinking water and arable soil. The rising water — which reached a depth of 15 feet in some areas — obscured marked minefields and swept explosives into new locations."
Mikhail Klimentov reports for the Washington Post March 13, 2025.
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