GENICHESK, June 6. /TASS/. Ukrainian troops are leaving their positions on islands at the mouth of the Dnieper River as water levels continue to rise after Kiev shelled and destroyed the Kakhovka hydropower plant (HPP), a Cossack commander told TASS on Tuesday.

"Indeed, water levels have risen, but our positions are intact. Ukrainian troops are fleeing the islands as they have been flooded," said Sergey Yurchenko, a deputy commander for the Don Cossack brigade, which is deployed at the Dnieper left bank.

Ukrainian forces shelled the Kakhovka HPP in the early morning hours on Tuesday, presumably using missiles fired from an Olkha multiple launch rocket system (MLRS). The gate valves of the plant’s dam collapsed as a result of the shelling, causing water to pour out uncontrollably.

As of now, the water level in Novaya Kakhovka has risen to above ten meters. Fourteen settlements have been flooded and up to 80 are at risk of being inundated. People are being evacuated from neighboring settlements. However, according to local authorities, large-scale evacuations are not necessary. Farmlands along the Dnieper have been washed away. There is a risk of the drying out of the North Crimean Canal, which feeds water to Crimea.