Video Circulated Misleadingly After Nova Kakhovka Dam Destruction
The Claim
A video features the moment when the floodgates were opened at the Dnipro Hydroelectric Power Plant in Ukraine's Zaporizhzhia region. As a result, a substantial amount of water is surging rapidly toward the Kherson region.
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Emerging story
After the unfortunate collapse of the Nova Kakhovka dam in southern Ukraine, a video has circulated on social media, claiming to feature the moment when the floodgates were opened at the Dnipro Hydroelectric Power Plant in the Zaporizhzhia region of Ukraine.
Consequently, a substantial amount of water is surging rapidly toward the Kherson region.
Misbar’s Analysis
Misbar investigated the viral video and found the claim to be misleading.
A thorough reverse image search revealed the video making the rounds to be older than claimed.
This Video Predates the Collapse of the Nova Kakhovka Dam
Contrary to the circulating claim, the video features the spring flooding that occurred in Ukraine this year.
On April 19, Insider Kyiv uploaded the video on Instagram, providing evidence that the video predates the collapse of the Nova Kakhovka Dam.
The translated video’s caption reads, “A red level of danger has been declared in a number of regions of Ukraine due to the spring flood, the Emergency Department of Emergency Situations… predicts that the peak of the flood will fall on the period from April 18 to 28.”
Ukraine’s April Spring Flooding
Nine regions in northern, central, and western Ukraine were affected by the spring flooding this year. The flooding resulted in damage to approximately 1,715 households and 21,950 hectares of agricultural land across the country. Additionally, transportation links to 32 cities and villages were disrupted due to the flooding, as reported by the State Emergency Service.
On April 19, the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv, started flooding rescue exercises in response to a significant rise in water levels in the Dnipro River, according to the Kyiv City State Administration. These exercises were designed to simulate emergency response actions in the event that the water level in the Dnipro reaches 800 centimeters above the zero level, which could lead to flooding in six districts of the city.
Ukraine’s Nova Kakhovka Dam Collapsed, Unleashing a Flood
On Tuesday, a significant dam in southern Ukraine collapsed, leading to the flooding of nearby villages and posing risks to crops and drinking water supplies. As both sides involved in the war took measures to evacuate residents, each party blamed the other for the destruction.
Ukraine accused Russian forces of deliberately causing the collapse of the Kakhovka dam and hydroelectric power station, which is situated on the Dnieper River in an area controlled by Moscow for over a year. Russian officials, on the other hand, attributed the incident to Ukrainian bombardment in the contested region, where the river acts as a dividing line between the two sides.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy described the event as “the largest man-made environmental disaster in Europe in decades.” U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called it “another devastating consequence of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.”
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This Video Does Not Feature the Recent Explosion of the Ukrainian’s Nova Kakhovka Dam
