Due to Russian strikes on a dam in the Kharkiv region, about 13,000 residents could end up in the flood zone, including 3,500 people with limited mobility, the head of the Kharkiv Regional Military Administration, Oleg Synegubov, said on a live broadcast.
“Our response plans have been ready since 2022, when the enemy was already targeting this critical infrastructure. However, all plans have been updated, and all these evacuation plans are fully realistic. About 13,000 people could be relocated, including 3,500 with limited mobility. All available resources will allow us to act in time,” the official said.
According to Synegubov, information campaigns are being carried out in the affected communities.
“The main thing now—and we are working on this—is to inform the population, so that people are potentially ready for evacuation. We will be able to provide logistics, transport, and temporary accommodation. We have clear forecasts on which settlements are at risk of flooding and, of course, what measures we will take in case of this emergency (flooding due to dam destruction),” said the head of the regional administration.
- On December 7, Russian forces struck the Pechenihy Reservoir dam in Kharkiv region with a missile attack.
- On December 8, after a meeting of the Coordination Headquarters on the situation in communities near the reservoir, the Ministry of Communities and Territories Development and the Kharkiv Regional Military Administration reported that “the situation is currently stable, and there is no need for any evacuation measures.” Relevant services continue to monitor water levels regularly.
- The 16th Army Corps of the Ukrainian Ground Forces reported that military units have alternative routes, which “were actively used before and now fully allow for necessary logistics.” Temporary potential loss of access via the dam will not have a critical impact on military operations, the Armed Forces stated.
- In September 2022, Russian forces also repeatedly attacked the dam. At that time, the pedestrian crossing over the dam in the village of Pechenihy, Chuhuiv district, was the only route for evacuating people from temporarily occupied territories in Kharkiv region and some settlements in Luhansk region.
