Russian attacks on Ukrainian hydro plants could trigger environmental disaster

During a massive assault, the Russian army attacked the Kaniv and Dniester hydroelectric power plants, Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said.
This aggressive move, Zelenskyy suggested, aims to instigate an environmental disaster akin to a previous incident in Kherson Oblast, with potential repercussions extending to Moldova.
"But now not only Ukraine, but also Moldova, is under threat. The water will not stop before the border pillars, just as the Russian war will not stop if we do not stop it in Ukraine together in time," the president said.
The Dnister Hydroelectric Power Plant is located a few kilometers from the Ukrainian-Moldovan border. Monitoring Telegram channels claimed that a Russian missile allegedly entered Moldovan airspace during the attack. Kyiv could not confirm this information, Illia Yevlash, the Air Force's spokesperson, said.
Zelenskyy elaborated on the broader implications of these attacks, emphasizing the risk not just to Ukraine but also to neighboring Moldova. "The terrorist state is attempting to recreate the environmental catastrophe witnessed in Kherson Oblast. This time, the threat looms over not only Ukraine but Moldova as well. Water knows no boundaries, and the same goes for the Russian conflict unless we collectively halt it in Ukraine promptly and decisively."
On March 22, Russian missiles hit the Dnipro Hydroelectric Power Plant, Ukraine's largest hydroelectric station, during the biggest attack on the country's energy infrastructure since the beginning of the full-scale invasion.
Russian occupation forces detonated the dam of the Kakhovka Hydroelectric Power Plant overnight on June 5-6, 2023. About 16,000 people and about 80 settlements were affected by the disaster. More than 30 people died. The Office of the Prosecutor General launched a pre-trial investigation over ecocide and violations of the laws and customs of war.