The destruction of a major Ukrainian dam could have grave consequences. Here’s what we know so far

A strategically important dam successful Russian-occupied confederate Ukraine was blown up connected Tuesday, raising fears astir safety, h2o supply, and Europe's largest atomic powerfulness plant, which receives cooling h2o from the reservoir upstream.

Ukraine accused Russian forces of blowing up the dam successful the Russian-controlled municipality of Nova Kakhovka. Moscow denies the onslaught and says Kyiv intentionally sabotaged the dam to distract attraction from its counteroffensive, according to Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov, successful Google-translated comments reported by Russian authorities quality bureau Tass.

CNBC has not been capable to independently verify the claims.

Footage verified by NBC News showed h2o cascading implicit the damaged dam, with evacuation efforts underway to support thousands of radical surviving successful low-lying areas downstream.

About 600 homes person been flooded arsenic a effect of the Nova Kakhovka dam blast, Russian exigency services said, according to Tass quality agency. Moscow declared a authorities of exigency successful the Nova Kakhovka district.

As of 11 a.m. section clip (4:15 a.m. ET), 885 citizens successful Ukraine's Kherson portion were evacuated, according to the Internal Affairs Ministry.

The dam is situated connected the Dnieper River and holds backmost an tremendous assemblage of water. It was built successful 1956 arsenic portion of the Kakhovka hydroelectric powerfulness plant.

The Kakhovka Reservoir supplies h2o to the Crimean Peninsula, which was annexed by Russia successful 2014, and provides cooling h2o to the Zaporizhzhia atomic powerfulness plant, which is besides nether Russian control.

In addition, its h2o is utilized to proviso hydroelectric stations, irrigation systems, and freshwater food farms.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said the authorities and nationalist services were doing each they could to prevention people, with those surviving successful alleged "danger zones" ordered to beryllium evacuated arsenic soon arsenic possible.

Earlier connected Tuesday, Zelenskyy convened an exigency gathering of the National Security and Defense Council to sermon the situation.

"The demolition of the Kakhovka hydroelectric powerfulness works dam lone confirms for the full satellite that they indispensable beryllium expelled from each country of Ukrainian land. Not a azygous metre should beryllium near to them, due to the fact that they usage each metre for terror," Zelenskyy said.

Ukraine state-owned hydropower institution said the blast that severely damaged the Nova Kakhovka dam came from wrong the motor room.

"As a effect of detonation of the motor country from the inside, the Kakhovskaya [hydroelectric powerfulness plant] was wholly destroyed. The presumption cannot beryllium restored," Ukrhydroenergo said successful a statement.

Half the span of the Nova Kakhovka dam appears to person been destroyed and Tass reported that the operation is continuing to collapse, citing exigency services.

Meanwhile, a Russian-installed authoritative successful the Ukrainian municipality of Nova Kakhovka reportedly said successful comments to authorities tv that the dam would beryllium intolerable to repair.

The U.K. and Lithuania person condemned the enactment arsenic a "war crime," portion Latvia warned the blast is an "ecological disaster."

The European Commission, the EU's enforcement arm, said that the demolition of the Kakhovka dam reflected "a caller motion of escalation" successful Russia's warfare against Ukraine.

"The European Union condemns powerfully this horrific and barbaric onslaught against specified a important portion of infrastructure with unspeakable humanitarian and biology consequences," said Peter Stano, EU overseas argumentation spokesperson.

"It is evident that this is happening successful the discourse of Russia's aggression against Ukraine," helium added.

The U.N.'s atomic watchdog said it was intimately monitoring the concern astatine Zaporizhzhia atomic powerfulness plant. The International Atomic Energy Agency said via Twitter that it is alert of the reported harm astatine the dam, but determination was nary "immediate information risk" astatine the plant.

IAEA Director-General Rafael Grossi said successful a connection that an lack of cooling h2o for an extended play astatine the Zaporizhzhia atomic works would origin substance melt and the inoperability of the exigency diesel generators.

"However, our existent appraisal is that determination is nary contiguous hazard to the information of the plant," Grossi said. He added that determination are a fig of alternate sources of h2o to the atomic plant.

Ukraine's atomic relation Energoatom said via Telegram that the h2o level successful the Kakhovka reservoir "is rapidly decreasing, which is an further threat" to the atomic powerfulness plant, according to a translation.

"Water from the Kakhovka Reservoir is indispensable for the presumption to person powerfulness for turbine capacitors and information systems of the ZNPP. The station's cooling pond is present full: arsenic of 8:00 a.m., the h2o level is 16.6 meters, which is capable for the station's needs," the bureau said.

The Conflict and Environment Observatory, a non-profit based successful the U.K., said the Kakhovka Reservoir is known to beryllium the "ultimate vigor sink" for the Zaporizhzhia atomic powerfulness plant, noting that it tin region vigor from shutdown reactors and spent substance pools. It warned the breach of the dam posed a "serious threat" to the plant.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said his authorities was besides monitoring the presumption of Zaporizhzhia atomic powerfulness works pursuing the dam's breach.