Russia Strikes Ternivska Dam, Flooding Villages Near Kurakhove on Kherson Liberation Anniversary

The Russian army has targeted the Ternivska Dam in the Kurakhove Reservoir, according to the Donetsk Regional Military Administration. As of this report, the extent of the damage remains unclear, with no publicly available photos or videos. Officials report that the dam’s water regulation system has been hit, though Ukrainian authorities have yet to confirm the scope of the impact.

The damage has already triggered flooding in nearby villages, with water levels reaching up to one meter—and in some areas, nearly 1.2 meters (almost 4 feet). The breach poses a serious threat to communities along the Vovcha River, which supplies the Kurakhove Reservoir.

Destroying dams is classified as a war crime, violating both the Geneva Conventions and the rules of warfare. As civilian infrastructure, dams are essential to communities, and their destruction can have devastating impacts on both people and the environment.

These tactics are nothing new for Russia. In June 2023, the Russian army destroyed the Kakhovka Dam, destroying the Kakhovka Reservoir. The aftermath saw widespread flooding in Kherson, with dozens of villages submerged and hundreds of thousands of hectares of farmland threatened. The environmental damage was severe, with financial losses estimated in the billions. Rebuilding the Kakhovka Hydroelectric Station alone is projected to cost at least $500-600 million.

This latest strike on the dam came on a symbolic day for Ukraine: November 11. On this date in 2022, Ukrainian forces successfully expelled the Russian army from Kherson—the only regional capital Russia had managed to capture since its full-scale invasion in February 2022.

Kurakhove

The destruction of the Ternivska Dam in the Kurakhove Reservoir will worsen road conditions in the area, transforming them into muddy tracks and complicating heavy equipment movement. Other logistical routes, including the main road to Kurakhove, remain accessible. A road crossing the Vovcha River runs along the dam, though its current condition is unclear.

Kurakhove, a small city in the Donetsk region, has become a primary target for the Russian army, enduring dozens of attacks daily. For a long time, it remained removed from the front lines, as Russian forces were tied up in nearly two years of fighting over Marinka, another city in the Donetsk region. Russian troops only captured Marinka in December 2023, reaching Kurakhove by early January 2024 after almost a year spent covering the 15 kilometers between the two cities.

Capturing Kurakhove would enable Russian forces to push further into the Donetsk region, advancing deeper along the N-15 highway. Russian troops are currently attempting to encircle the city from three sides, aiming to trap the Ukrainian Armed Forces stationed there.

Kurakhove remains under Ukrainian control at the time of this report.