NOVAYA KAKHOVKA /Kherson Region/, June 6. /TASS/. Investigators are considering all versions of the incident at the Kakhovka HPP, as it is difficult to analyze the situation due to the collapse and scale of destruction, a spokesman for the Investigative Committee's military investigative directorate for the Combined Group of Forces told the media on Tuesday.
Investigators earlier opened a criminal case over the terrorist attack that caused the burst the Kakhovka HPP’s dam and the flooding of the area downstream that followed.
"Investigators of Russia’s Investigative Committee continue to inspect the site of the collapse of the Kakhovka HPP. Due to the significant scale of the structure’s collapse it is difficult to analyze the situation visually. For this reason, all versions of what happened are being considered," he said.
At night, the Ukrainian military delivered a missile strike against the Kakhovka Hydro presumably with an Olkha MLRS. The shelling destroyed the hydraulic valves that triggered an uncontrolled discharge of water. Now there are 14 communities in the waterlogged zone. As many as 80 communities may be flooded. Nearby villages are being evacuated. The authorities have said that no large-scale evacuation will be needed. The destruction of the hydropower plant caused serious environmental damage. Farmlands along the Dnieper were washed away. There is a risk the North Crimean Canal may run low.
Russian Presidential Spokesman Dmitry Peskov called the strike on the Kakhovka HPP a deliberate act of sabotage by Ukraine. He added that the Kiev regime should bear all the responsibility for the consequences.