Recent Russian missile strikes that struck an area close to a major dam and hydroelectric power plant near Ukraine’s capital Kyiv sparked concerns about potential flooding and power outages.
The strikes, which Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy described as “one of the most intense,” caused significant damage to the country’s energy infrastructure.
While authorities stated the power plant wasn’t directly hit, two other power plants were damaged, increasing blackouts in Kyiv, according to local media. A fire also broke out on a road near the Kyiv Hydroelectric Power Plant.
– Kyiv Dam
The Kyiv Dam, located 20 kilometers (12.4 miles) north of the capital on the Dnieper River, was built during the Soviet era in the 1960s. The building was also recorded as one of the fastest-constructed facilities in the 1960s.
The 288-meter-long (945-foot-long) dam is one of the largest in Ukraine, alongside those in Dnipro in eastern Ukraine, port city Kakhovka, and Kaniv at the center of the country. The dam holds 3.7 cubic kilometers of water, making it Ukraine’s third-largest water source.
Its hydroelectric plant, renovated in 1996, boasts a 440-megawatt capacity, crucial for Kyiv’s power supply. The dam also serves as a vital flood protection measure for the surrounding areas.
Ukrainian officials have not provided specific assessments of flood risks should the dam be breached, but the potential release of its massive reservoir could rapidly raise water levels in central Kyiv, home to around 3 million people pre-war.
Additionally, the loss of the power plant’s generation capacity would deprive Kyiv of electricity essential for heating, industry, and daily life.
Ukrainian authorities remain cautiously optimistic about their air defense capabilities, attributed to systems provided by Western allies. However, the recent attacks have highlighted the need for increased protection of strategic infrastructure against missile strikes.
