Russia destroyed Kakhovka dam to enable its troop relocation from Kherson sector – Defense Ministry

Russians are relocating their most combat-ready units from the Kherson direction to Zaporizhzhia and Bakhmut sectors, Ukrainian Deputy Defense Minister Hanna Maliar wrote on Telegram.

According to her, those are primarily "units of the marines, airborne troops and the 49th army."

"The purpose of the Russians' blasting the Kakhovka Hydroelectric Power Plant becomes obvious. Thus, taking into account their losses and limited reserves and realizing their inability to deter the Ukrainian offensive in different directions, the command of the Russian occupation forces decided to 'narrow' down the possible geography of the active actions by ZSU [Ukraine's Armed Forces]," she wrote.

Ms. Maliar says the destruction of the Kakhovka HPP dam was "obviously carried out to prevent the Ukrainian Defense Forces from launching an offensive in the Kherson sector and to free up the necessary reserves for their deployment to the Zaporizhzhia and Bakhmut sectors."

Additionally, she says, by the destruction of the dam, the Russian leadership is trying to make Ukraine divert some forces and resources to deal with the man-made disaster, "thereby making it impossible to liberate the occupied territories on the [Russian-controlled eastern] left bank of Kherson Oblast."

Read also:

• ICC mission arrives in Kherson Oblast to investigate destruction of Nova Kakhovka dam
• Kakhovka dam destruction changing Kherson front geography, affects Russian eastern-bank positions – ISW
• Kakhovka Dam was built to withstand nuclear strike, couldn’t be destroyed from outside – Ukrhydroproject engineering company
• Russia controlled Kakhovka Dam and bears responsibility for its destruction – White House