Danilov: Russians deliberately blow up Kakhovka HPP on Kremlin’s instructions

The Russian military deliberately blew up the Kakhovka HPP on instructions from the Kremlin, says Oleksiy Danilov, Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine.

"The dam was blown up by Russian terrorists with explosives that had been planted in advance, in September-October of last year. Most likely, all this happened yesterday on instructions from Moscow. The order for this terrorist act came from the Kremlin, from Putin's office. Such instructions are not given at other levels. This is not the level of a battalion or division, it is not even the level of a situation related to Shoigu," Danilov told Radio Liberty.

Before the explosion, according to the NSDC Secretary, the Russians raised the water level at the Kakhovka HPP because they controlled it.

The invaders exploded the plant because of the Ukrainian counteroffensive, Danilov noted.

"They all expect our counteroffensive. Moreover, they raised the level as much as possible. It was 18-16 m, they raised it by more than 19 m. They accumulated it [water] deliberately in order to create more damage during the explosion," the NSDC Secretary said.

Although the HPP destruction may affect the operation of the Zaporizhzhia NPP, the situation there will be stable in the next four months, Danilov believes.

As reported, the Russian army blew up the Kakhovka HPP dam on the night of June 6. In Kherson region, the evacuation of the population from dangerous places, which are at risk of flooding due to the explosion, has begun. Law enforcement officers have initiated an investigation under the article "ecocide". Ukrhydroenergo hydro power generating company stated that the Kakhovka HPP is completely destroyed and cannot be restored.