The Russian General Oleg Makarevich is suspected of having ordered the devastating attack on a dam in Ukrainian Cherson in June last year, according to Ukraine's security service.
The explosion of the Kachovka dam led to flooding that cost a large number of human lives. Unprecedented water volumes were released when the dam – which had been under Russian control since the start of the war in 2022 – collapsed rapidly.
Russia has long been suspected of being behind the dam attack, which led to Ukrainian forces being abruptly stopped from advancing south and launching a counter-offensive against the Russians. Ukraine's security service now says that General Officer and Commander Oleg Makarevich was the one who gave the order to blow up the dam. Makarevich is suspected of committing war crimes and premeditated murder, according to the security service on Telegram.
Russia has reported that 59 people drowned in the area, but according to an AP investigation, it may have actually been hundreds of fatalities. The death toll is believed to have been obscured by Russia, including by hastily burying victims in mass graves and prohibiting doctors from issuing death certificates for the deceased.
Meanwhile, hundreds of thousands of people were left without access to clean drinking water when the water supply to the regions of Cherson, Mykolajiv, Dnipropetrovsk, and Crimea was largely disrupted. Environmental organizations have warned of a long-term environmental disaster as a result of the collapse, with extensive damage to ecosystems and disrupted water and food supplies.
Russia has previously accused Ukraine of being behind the dam explosion.
The Kachovka dam, located on the Dnepr River in the Cherson region of southeastern Ukraine, burst on June 6, 2023.
Unprecedented water volumes were released in the largely Russian-occupied area. Downstream, the water rose several meters, and tens of thousands of civilians were evacuated at the same time as thousands of hectares of arable land were flooded.
In the long term, significant changes are expected in nature and ecosystems in southern Ukraine as a result of the collapse. Long-term effects are feared from all the chemicals and pollutants from industries and built-up areas that were washed out.
The dam had been under Russian control since the start of the invasion in February 2022. In practice, the dam collapse prevented Ukrainian forces from advancing south for several months.
