Holy shit. Holy fucking shit.
Realistically, there is zero doubt that #Russia blew the #Kakhovka dam. Destroying dams with bombs or artillery is hard work, as the amount of effort devoted to it in WW2 demonstrates. #Ukraine most likely doesn't have the specialized resources for it, nor do they have any good reason right now. On the other hand, demolition of a dam you control, as Russia did until now, is ... not easy, but a whole lot easier.
And if you squint and turn your head sideways, it kinda sorta makes sense in the short term. The floodwaters will prevent any large-scale Ukrainian crossing, and do a whole lot of damage to densely populated areas that are mostly under Ukrainian control. Which fits perfectly with the Russian policy of destruction for destruction's sake.
Long-term, or even medium-term? Not so much. The #Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant will have to be shut down completely, and remain so until the dam is rebuilt. Even bigger, the dam and its reservoir provided most of #Crimea's water supply. Sustaining a long-term Russian presence there will be impossible. There just isn't enough water.
So what it boils down to is, RUSSIA HAS SURRENDERED CRIMEA.
They may genuinely not realize this yet. Thinking through the consequences of their actions has not been one of their strong suits, since about the third day of the war. But that's what it means.
Holy shit. Holy *fucking* shit.
https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/ukraine-war-kakhovka-dam-destruction-russia-rcna87868
@Gregnee I hate to agree with you, because that's where a lot of my ancestors come from. And I still hold out hope that one of these days it will be a member of the community of nations instead of an out-of-control toddler with a machine gun. But as it is now ... yeah, fuck Russia.
@medigoth
Of course, I mean Russia the political state and all who support it. I specifically didn’t say “Russians” for that reason. Some Russians for sure…
@Gregnee Indeed. And pretty much all of the ones in charge.
@medigoth Fingers crossed that they do, indeed, shut down the power plant. I could see Putin using a meltdown event as an opportunity to play the victim. If regional allies accept the Kremlin's version, nuclear fallout over the Black Sea could strengthen that alliance.
@fiction8 That's a terrifying possibility I hadn't considered. So yeah, fingers and toes crossed, knocking on wood, etc.
@medigoth for a nation that makes heroes out of chess players they have a crappy grasp of strategy.
@medigoth Fuck Russia.