Internal blast likely breached Ukrainian dam, experts say (cautiously)

Ukraine appeared to be launching a long-awaited counter-offensive against Russian forces on Sunday, and its officials said Moscow blew up the dam to impede their advance by causing flooding and removing the only remaining river crossing between the enemies. However, it is not clear whether Ukraine’s plans call for a major crossing of the lower Dnipro.

Ukrainians wondered why they would want to destroy their own infrastructure, towns and farms, noting that these were often targets of ruthless Russian warfare. Moscow wanted to “show that they are ready for anything” if Kiev aggressively continues its counter-offensive, said Roman Kostenko, chairman of the defense and intelligence committee in the Ukrainian parliament. “They are doing everything they can to stop our counterattack.”

Kremlin spokesman Mr Peskov claimed that Ukraine destroyed the dam to cut off water flow through a canal from the Dnipro to the Crimean peninsula. After Russia illegally annexed Crimea in 2014, Ukraine shut down the flow, but Russia restarted it last year after capturing the dam.

Other Russian officials claimed the attack was intended to support a Ukrainian offensive they said was sputtering — possibly to allow Kiev to reposition some troops, or to allow floodwaters to push back Russian artillery near the river to insist.

Some Western military analysts issued a cautionary note about being quick to assign blame, or even saying whether the dam’s collapse was intentional.

“It’s too early to say,” said Michael Kofman, the director of Russian studies at CNA, a research institute in Arlington, Va. The disaster, he said, “ultimately benefits no one.”

Reporting contributed by Riley Mellen, Hayley Willis, Thomas Gibbons Neff, Paul Son, Andrew E. Kramer, Matthew Mpoke Bigg, Eric Schmitt And Victoria Kim.