Kakhovka Dam

June 8, 2023

Recently, a huge Soviet-era Kakhovka dam that separates Russian and Ukrainian forces was breached and unleashed floodwaters across the war zone.

About Kakhovka Dam:

  • It is located on the Dnieper or Dnipro River in southern Ukraine which was built as part of the Kakhovka hydroelectric power plant.
  • The reservoir also supplies water to the Crimean Peninsula and the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant
  • Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant is Europe’s largest and gets its cooling water from the reservoir which is located on the southern side, now under Russian control.
  • It holds water a volume about equal to the Great Salt Lake in the U.S.

Key facts about the Dnieper

  • It is the fourth longest river in Europe.
  • It runs a total length of 1,368 miles extending from the uplands of Russia’s Valdai Hills.
  • It flows in a southerly direction through western Russia, Belarus, and Ukraine before emptying into the Black Sea.