US satellite detects heat traces secs prior Kakhovka dam collapse: NYT

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: The New York Times
9 Jun 2023 20:05

Despite not having any conclusive evidence to confirm who was behind the incident, the US suspects Russia was behind it, the report adds.

Houses are seen underwater in the flooded village of Dnipryany, in Kherson Region, Wednesday, June 7, 2023, after the collapse of Kakhovka Dam (AP)

The New York Times reported on Friday that a US spy satellite identified traces of an explosion at the Kakhovka hydroelectric power plant moments before the dam collapsed.

On June 6, the Kakhovka dam in southwest Russia was blown by an explosion unleashing a flood of water across the war zone.

According to the NYT report, citing a Biden administration official, infrared sensors from the spy satellite detected a heat signature that may support evidence that an explosion occurred immediately before the dam collapsed.

Despite not having any conclusive evidence to confirm who was behind the incident, the US suspects Russia was behind it, the report adds.

Engineers and munition experts are supporting the argument that an explosion was likely behind the demolition. This, however, doesn't rule out that structural failure or an outside attack may also possible causes.

Whilst Russia has blamed Kiev's forces for instigating an act of terror against civilian infrastructure, Ukraine has inversely pinned accusations against Russia.

Russian Presidential Spokesperson Dmitry Peskov described the bombing of the Kakhovka dam as an act of purposeful sabotage by Ukrainian troops, emphasizing that Ukraine should carry full responsibility for the repercussions.

On June 7, the Russian-appointed Mayor of Nova-Kakhovka, Vladimir Leontyev, revealed that seven locals were reported to be missing after the destruction of the Kakhovka hydroelectric power plant.

Later, it was confirmed by media reports that six people died as a result of the damage.

A DPRK researcher considered that the demolition of the Kakhovka hydroelectric power plant is a reenactment of the Nord Stream scenario, pointing out that the masterminds of the present humanitarian disaster are the United States and Ukraine, which are attempting to transfer blame to Russia.

"It is obvious who was interested in the recent humanitarian disaster, given Ukraine's nefarious plot to try to label Russia a war criminal by all means, and Russia's intention to regulate the intensity of the military operation to prevent damage to civilians as much as possible," O Song-jin, a researcher at the DPRK's Institute of International Studies, pointed out in an article cited by the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) on Friday.