MOSCOW, June 7. /TASS/. The head of the Russian Investigative Committee, Alexander Bastrykin, has taken the investigation into the Kakhovka dam explosion under his control, the committee said on its official Telegram channel on Wednesday.

"The chairman of the Russian Investigative Committee A. I. Bastrykin has taken under control the investigation into the criminal case, launched on terrorism charges after the destruction of the Kakhovka HPP dam and the flooding of territories," the committee said in a statement.

The case was launched on charges of a terror attack, which entailed serious property damage and other grave consequences, and was committed by a group of individuals in collusion.

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 12 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.

Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov described the attack on the Kakhovka HPP as a deliberate act of sabotage by Ukraine. He added that the Kiev regime should bear all the responsibility for the consequences.