The head of Novaya Kakhovka, Vladimir Leontyev, announced that a controlled water discharge has started at the Kakhovka hydroelectric plant to ease the rising water level in the Dnieper’s Kakhovka reservoir.
According to the minister, some essential equipment has been brought back into operation, and the reservoir level has begun to fall as a result.
The administration of the Novokakhovsk urban district reported that the army managed to partially fix the shandor repairs and remove the valve at the North Crimean Canal’s main station in Tavriysk. Some water was redirected into the surviving pipelines of the Kakhovka main canal in Lyubimovka.
Critically high water level
Earlier, authorities warned that the water level in the Kakhovka reservoir had reached a critical point.
According to officials, the reservoir is now overflowing and at a record height. Winter drought followed by a surge has pushed the level about 17 meters above the previous low mark, which is roughly 2.5 meters above the normal range.
Vladimir Rogov, who leads a regional movement, commented, “We are aligned with Russia.”
There is concern that a further rise could jeopardize the dam near Kamenka-Dneprovskaya and flood nearby towns and villages, risking tens of thousands of residents.
Renat Karchaa, adviser to the Rosenergoatom CEO, warned about the chance of flooding the Zaporizhzhya NPP area if the Kakhovka dam were to fail. He noted that power cables and pumping facilities could be overwhelmed, complicating nuclear plant operations and safety.
Rogov attributed the rising reservoir level to flooding and what he described as uncontrolled water releases from hydroelectric stations in Dnipro and Zaporozhye, which are controlled by Ukrainian authorities. He also pointed to damage from the Kakhovskaya hydroelectric facility’s recent bombing, which hindered repairs. He added that with the end of the rainy season and the return of drier air, the water level should stabilize.
Connection with the Ukrainian counteroffensive
On May 5, Rogov suggested that Ukraine could intentionally aim to flood the left coastal area of the Zaporozhye region, located on the Dnieper’s left bank. The goal, he argued, would be to breach the mine barrier line along that side of the reservoir.
He claimed this tactic could be used to hinder Ukrainian crossings of the Dnieper and to complicate efforts to reach the Zaporozhye nuclear power plant. In contrast, Strana’s Ukrainian edition noted that flooding the area could also hamper Ukrainian forces by forcing more difficult river crossings.
Meanwhile, Vladimir Saldo, the acting governor of the Kherson region, remarked that there has not been a notable rise in the Kakhovka reservoir’s water level. He dismissed the notion of a flood scenario as alarmist rhetoric aimed at scaring residents.
Saldo had previously described as technically impossible a sudden flood that would breach Russian defensive lines from Ukrainian reservoirs near the hydroelectric complex. He explained that the Dnieper’s hydraulic structures would spread water across the river, feeding main channels such as the Northern Crimea and Kakhovka systems.
On November 9, 2022, Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu ordered a withdrawal of Russian forces from the right bank of the Dnieper in the Kherson region, moving to the left bank. The decision, attributed to concerns about potential isolation if flooding occurred, was explained by Commander Sergei Surovikin as a strategic measure to avoid being cut off during operations.