Authorized reprint of article from Bullpiano Author: Bullpiano
Comparison before and after the dam was exploded
To be honest, upon hearing the news of the explosion of the Kahovka Dam, my heart sank – the worst thing had happened.
There is no doubt that this is the “Huayuankou incident” of the Russia-Ukraine conflict, and it is an unscrupulous anti human act, which will be followed by serious humanitarian disaster, economic disaster and ecological disaster.
Because this is not an ordinary dam, the Kakhovka Dam is 30 meters high and 3.2 kilometers long. It was built in 1956 during the Soviet era and is the largest dam in Ukraine, followed by a storage capacity of 182 billion cubic meters, ranking second in the world!
You should know that the total storage capacity of our Three Gorges Reservoir is only 39.3 billion cubic meters.
Now, the dam has burst, and surging floods have poured out. The water level in some downstream areas has risen by 10 meters, and a large number of towns are being flooded.
The consequences are quite tragic.
1. Most of Kherson will become Zekuo. Before the war, Kherson was a large city with a population of 3 million, and a large number of people who suffered from the ravages of war will become disaster victims.
2. Ukraine is the granary of Europe, and floods have caused extensive flooding of fertile fields, causing devastating damage to ecosystems and an unprecedented disaster.
3. This also involves the safety of the Zaporo heat nuclear power plant, as the largest nuclear power plant in Europe requires a large amount of cooling water from the Kahovka Reservoir. Once the water runs out, is the nuclear power plant safe?
This is slightly different from the Beixi pipeline being bombed, as damaging the infrastructure of the reservoir dam is explicitly prohibited by international law and is a blatant and inhumane act.
The key is, who did it?
Who is so insane, who is so reckless of the floods?
It’s another Rashomon.
After the dam was bombed, Ukrainian President Zelensky immediately convened an emergency national security meeting to discuss countermeasures. Zelensky determined that this was done by “Russian terrorists”.
His reason is simple: Russia has always controlled the dam and it is physically impossible to blow it up from outside through shelling. He accused Russia of detonating a large-scale bomb that destroyed the environment. This is the largest man-made environmental disaster in Europe in decades. They are the most dangerous terrorists in the world
On that side, Putin also immediately listened to the relevant report. According to the Kremlin, this is totally sabotage on the part of Ukraine, so as to destroy the water source of Crimea and cover up the failure of Ukraine’s counter attack.
Russian Defense Minister Shoigu stated that intelligence shows that the Ukrainian army intends to transport the southern Ukrainian army to other fronts in order to strengthen its counterattack. Therefore, this destructive activity was planned to hinder the Russian army’s attack through floods, and the Ukrainian army has established defensive positions in the surrounding areas in advance.
Both presidents blame each other.
But one thing is certain. It must be sabotage.
According to my friend’s analysis, there are two main types of dams. The first type is gravity dams, such as our Three Gorges Dam, which is made of huge concrete or stone blocks and has the greatest advantage of being resistant to damage. The second type is arch dams, which are suitable for river valley areas, such as the Hoover Dam. The advantage is that the amount of concrete poured is small, but the disadvantage is that once the arch structure is damaged, the dam is easily destroyed.
The Kahovka Dam should be a gravity dam, and ordinary artillery and bombs are difficult to destroy. Therefore, those who blew up the dam must have a good understanding of the dam structure, accurately calculated the blasting plan, and ultimately succeeded.
Just as the Beixi pipeline was bombed last year, the West immediately targeted Russia. President of the European Commission von der Leyen, Secretary General of NATO Stoltenberg and others accused this was a “heinous attack” from Russia.
UN Secretary General Gutierrez lamented, “This tragedy is a new example of the terrible cost that war has brought to the people. We have seen the tragic scene of this huge humanitarian, economic, and ecological disaster.
Which side is more advantageous from the result of the dam being bombed?
Actually, it is also very complex.
1. If the dam breaches, it will soon inundate a large area controlled by Ukraine.
2. The surging floods will inevitably slow down the counterattack of the Ukrainian army.
However, it must also be acknowledged that with the flooding, large areas under Russian control are also being submerged.
4. This is related to the safety of the Zaporo heat nuclear power plant, which is currently in the hands of Russia.
5. The Kakhovka Reservoir is an important water source in Crimea. The dam was bombed, and the Crimean water source is in urgent need.
So, do you think this is beneficial for Ukraine or more beneficial for Russia?
More puzzling is the previous smoke grenade. Ukraine has repeatedly accused Russia of setting up bombs around the dam with the intention of blowing up the dam, releasing floods, and resisting attacks by the Ukrainian army.
In October last year, Russia wrote a letter to the Security Council warning the Ukrainian government that “it has developed a plan to destroy the Kahovka Dam, which will lead to catastrophic floods and may take the lives of thousands of innocent people”.
You said, who could have done this?
There is also a very treacherous reality. According to the latest CNN report, quoting Ukrainian frontline officers, it was the Russians who blew up the dam, but they also saw that some Russian soldiers were engulfed by floods, and many people were struggling on the east bank of the Dnieper River
Finally, what do you think?
Firstly, this must be Rashomon. Believe in Ukraine forever, blame Russia forever. Alas, sometimes in this world, there is only a stance, no right or wrong. Even such an anti humanitarian incident is really speechless.
Secondly, this is definitely a disaster. A large number of towns are being flooded, and a large number of people are urgently evacuating. When the Kakhovka Dam was built, the Soviet Union made a nationwide effort. But the glory of the Soviet era was easily destroyed, and overnight it became a disaster. As I mentioned earlier, the worst thing happened, but it turned red in the eye. Isn’t there anything more “worst” next?
Thirdly, history will be fair. Just because we don’t know the truth today doesn’t mean there will always be no truth. Lincoln once said, you can deceive some people for a lifetime, or you can deceive everyone for a while, but you cannot deceive everyone forever. I believe that with the passage of time, the truth will always come to light.
But no matter who did it, such anti human behavior will surely be nailed to the pillar of shame in history.
Do your own sins, you cannot live; Do your own evil, you cannot live!