Budanov: Blowing up the Kakhovka HPP dam will deprive the occupiers of water to Crimea and Zaporizhzhia NPP

If the Russian troops blow up the dam of the Kakhovka hydroelectric power plant (HPP), they will only temporarily slow down the counteroffensive of the Ukrainian military, and the territory of the occupied Crimea and the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant (ZNPP) will remain without water.

The head of the Main Directorate of Intelligence (MDI) of the Ministry of Defense Kyrylo Budanov told about this in an interview with "Ukrainian Pravda".

According to him, the dam is partially mined. In case of detonation, the left bank of the Kherson region will be flooded, Budanov believes.

"They will lose. Even theoretically, the possibility of supplying water to the North Crimean Canal, to the Crimea, until we rebuild the dam, and that will take a very long time. It will be unrealistic to do this," explained the head of the MDI.

In addition, according to Budanov, the occupiers will thus "destroy the existence of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant", because this facility is inextricably linked with the Kakhovka HPP.

"Well, of course, they will make it difficult for us to advance for a certain period of time. And this, by the way, is not a very long period of time, it will be somewhere around two weeks. But they will be forced to retreat directly to the Crimea. In other words, if you make a complete destruction, then the scenario is as follows. Are they ready for it? I donʼt think so," Budanov noted.

• On October 22, the Russian-appointed "head" of the occupation administration of the Nova Kakhovka district (Kherson region) Volodymyr Leontyev informed that water was being dumped from the Kakhovka reservoir.
• On October 18, an "organized transfer of the civilian population to the left bank of the Dnipro River" was announced in the occupied part of the Kherson region. Collaborator Volodymyr Saldo announced at the time about the "planned destruction of the Kakhovka HPP dam."
• On October 20, President Zelensky informed about the preparation of a terrorist attack at the Kakhovka HPP. The Russians mined the dam and station units — 80 settlements, including Kherson, may be in the flood zone.
• According to military intelligence, the occupiers mined the HPP in April. For now, they are mining the locks and supports. The Government of Ukraine calls for the organization of an international mission to the hydroelectric plant.