Tragedy — Russians Blew Up the Kakhovka Dam

As a result of the Russian destruction of the Kakhovka Dam on June 6, 2023, hundreds of thousands of animals perished. Russia committed a true ecocide on Ukrainian territory.

The destruction will flood significant territories, including the unique conservation landscapes of the Kherson region — the Nizhniodniprovskyi National Nature Park and the internationally significant Ramsar wetland “Dnipro River Delta,” recognized by the Ramsar Convention in 1995.

The delta features numerous river branches, marshes, floodplain forests, sand dunes, and lake complexes. It is distinguished by unique biodiversity and is home to rare animals (about 70 species) and rare plants and fungi (about 30 species).

The Nizhniodniprovskyi National Nature Park will be partially flooded. It preserves typical and rare communities of floodplain forests, marshes, meadows, and sandy steppes. Its ecosystems include 71 animal species and 32 plant species listed in the Red Book of Ukraine and the IUCN World Red List.

Flooding of large areas will likely contaminate waterways with debris and various chemicals, including pesticides, which will be carried to the Dnipro-Buh estuary and then to the Black and Mediterranean Seas.

Volunteers from across Ukraine have gone to rescue animals, risking their lives under shelling to evacuate animals from flooded territories.