The Russian occupiers built a dam on the outskirts of temporarily occupied Tokmak, Zaporizhzhia region.
This is evidenced by satellite images obtained by Bellingcat.
The dam is located within the Russian defensive line surrounding Tokmak.
After the construction of the dam at the beginning of May, the Tokmachka River expanded significantly to the east of the city and flooded the nearby fields. Tire tracks leading from the dam indicate that it can also be used as a bridge.
Satellite images from Planet Labs captured the tracks leading to the dam site on May 3, 2023, and also showed the Tokmachka River being cut on May 6. The water level on the east side of the dam rose steadily until June.
On the night of June 6, Russia blew up the Kakhovka HPP in the Kherson region. However, given the size of the dam in Tokmak, flooding due to it should be insignificant, compared to the disaster due to the explosion of the Kakhovka HPP, Bellingcat notes.
- Earlier, the Center for Investigative Journalism also reported on the new dam in Tokmak. They noted that this step is part of the Russiansʼ plan to create water obstacles for the Ukrainian counteroffensive. The Kharkiv human rights group also warned of a possible deliberate flooding of the Zaporizhzhia region by the Russians.