Ukraine launched a counterattack against Russian forces amid allegations that Moscow caused a dam breach to impede their advancement. The dam’s collapse drowned towns and caused extensive loss of farms and livestock. However, some analysts speculate whether Ukraine caused the breach itself; accusations are frequent in the brutal conduct of the war on both sides. Russian officials claim the dam was sabotaged to disrupt the flow of water to the Crimea Peninsula, while others suggest that it supports a Ukrainian offensive. It is too early to conclude whether the dam collapse was deliberate or not.
Several notable contributors, including Riley Mellen, Haley Willis, Thomas Gibbons-Neff, Paul Sonne, Andrew E. Kramer, Matthew Mpoke Bigg, Eric Schmitt and Victoria Kim were involved in this report.
