(Reuters) – Significant new damage can be seen at the main Nova Kakhovka dam in southern Ukraine after Russia’s withdrawal from the nearby city of Kherson, the U.S. satellite imagery company said on Friday Max.
Maxar said images taken on Friday showed that several bridges crossing the Dnipro River had also been damaged. Ukrainian troops were greeted by jubilant residents in the center of Kherson after Russia left the city.
“This morning’s satellite images…reveal significant new damage to several bridges and the Nova Kakhovka Dam following the Russian withdrawal from Kherson across the Dnipro River,” Maxar said in a statement.
He said sections of the dam’s northern extension and floodgates had been “deliberately destroyed”. Earlier this week, Russia accused Ukraine of bombing the dam.
Both sides have repeatedly accused each of planning to breach the dam with explosives, which would flood much of the downstream area and likely cause significant destruction around Kherson.
It was the only regional capital Russia had captured since its forces invaded neighboring Ukraine in late February.