Ukraine Charges Russian General in Absentia for War Crimes Over Kakhovka Dam Destruction

The Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) has charged in absentia Russian Major General Vladimir Omelianovych, Chief of Staff and First Deputy Commander of the “Dnepr” grouping of the Russian Armed Forces, for his role in orchestrating the destruction of the Kakhovka Hydroelectric Power Plant in occupied Kherson region.

According to SBU on October 1, on the night of June 6, 2023, Omelianovych directly coordinated the actions of his subordinates as they carried out the demolition of the Kakhovka dam using explosives.

The attack triggered a catastrophic flood that killed 35 civilians and left 24 more missing. The torrent of water submerged 46 settlements and more than 1,300 hectares of agricultural land in Kherson region, including 14 communities under temporary occupation.

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War in Ukraine

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The consequences of the dam’s destruction were devastating. Water supply was cut off to Kherson, Mykolaiv, and Dnipropetrovsk regions, as well as to occupied Crimea. More than 55,000 hectares of forest and at least 81,000 hectares of protected natural areas and industrial facilities in southern Ukraine were flooded.

The disaster also posed a grave risk to the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, disrupting the cooling system vital to its safe operation.

On the basis of collected evidence, SBU investigators have charged Omelianovych under Part 2 of Article 28 and Part 2 of Article 438 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine—war crimes combined with intentional murder, committed by a group of persons in prior conspiracy.

Earlier, an investigation by The New York Times exposed the devastating environmental toll of Russia’s war in Ukraine, with prosecutors currently examining 247 cases of environmental destruction. Fourteen of these have been classified as ecocide under Ukraine’s criminal code, citing the large-scale devastation of flora and fauna.

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