Following the destruction of the Kakhovka Dam (Ukraine) by Russian occupiers, the aggressor state ignored evacuation efforts, failed to allocate sufficient resources to rescue civilians, and even actively obstructed local rescue attempts. This is according to an extensive investigation by The Kyiv Independent, titled “When Water Screams”, published on 27 February.
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Over the course of more than six months, journalists interviewed 50 eyewitnesses, their relatives, and volunteers to uncover the full extent of Russia’s inaction and misconduct. Using satellite imagery, they confirmed that at least 20 towns and 31 settlements were submerged, while Russian occupation authorities denied the scale of the disaster.
Survivors recounted desperate attempts to reach their loved ones, only to be ignored by occupation officials. Vladimir Saldo, a Russian-appointed collaborator in occupied Kherson, falsely claimed on Russian propaganda channels that no evacuation requests had been received. However, testimonies from residents paint a starkly different picture.
“There was no evacuation – not a centralised one, not an organised one. We begged Russian soldiers to help us, but they said: “You will die.” Then they were picked up by a huge Ural truck and taken away, leaving us behind,” one survivor told journalists.
Some civilians attempted to organise their own rescue efforts. Yaroslav Vasilyev, a key figure in the report, set up a Telegram group to coordinate evacuations, where locals shared information and sought boats to rescue stranded people.
Catriona Murdoch, Vice President of Global Rights Compliance, said Russia completely ignored its obligations under international law to assist civilians in occupied territories.
“We have established that there was a total disregard for the obligations placed upon Russia regarding the evacuation of civilians, the fundamental protective measures required during the conflict, and the environmental impact,” she emphasised.
Journalists also found evidence that Russia secretly buried the dead following the catastrophe. The occupation authorities continue to conceal the true number of victims, while independent access to these territories remains impossible.
Despite knowing the devastating impact the dam’s destruction would have on civilians, Russian forces took no action to mitigate the suffering.
Journalists emphasise that Russia did not simply allow a humanitarian catastrophe to unfold – it deliberately refused to save people, committing yet another war crime in the process.
Starvation MJT has shared six intelligence reports on the Kakhovka dam attack with the ICC and the UN COI, showing unseen data and highlighting the range of crimes which occurred during the attack and in the aftermath.