According to the statements of the President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyi, Russian troops blew up the dam of the Kakhovka hydroelectric power plant last night. Ukrainian officials claim that because of this, about 80 settlements are at risk of flooding. Since the reservoir of the Kakhovka hydroelectric power plant is connected with the operation of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, temporarily occupied by Russia, the propagandists did not leave this topic aside.  Detector Media highlighted the main messages of the Russian propaganda on undermining the dam.

1. The dam collapsed by itself due to shelling / outdated design

Anonymous telegram channels spreading pro-Russian rhetoric claim that the dam collapsed on its own due to shelling by the Ukrainian army. There is also a version that the Ukrainian authorities did not properly care for the state of the dam and therefore they have now collapsed. As evidence, the authors of such reports cite the German newspaper Bild, which allegedly removed the phrase “Russia blew it up” from the title of its report on the bombing.

These versions were refuted by the Ukrainian authorities. The office of the president, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine and a number of other state structures indicate that it was Russia that committed the targeted undermining. If one considers the situation with Bild, the report on the events at the Kakhovka HPP on the newspaper's website now has a completely different name.

2. Ukraine purposefully blew up a dam

Propagandists also accuse Ukraine of undermining. Allegedly, the goal is to ease the conditions for a counteroffensive or “deliberate escalation” for the “whims” of Western partners. Also, according to one version of the propaganda, the Office of the President needs this as an information drive in order to block other problems and crises. Like, this is indicated by numerous materials published in the Ukrainian media about the incident. They draw attention to a number of comparisons and emotional messages from Ukrainian opinion leaders. Allegedly, this is too dramatic and theatrical, and for this you need to prepare for a long time.

Such conclusions are groundless, since it is inappropriate to draw them on the basis of publications in social networks. Ukrainian civil society is a dynamic environment that can quickly and comprehensively respond to current events. Given this, the accusation of “staging” on the basis of the reports of his representatives cannot logically explain the situation. In addition, we are talking about people and the threat to their lives, some tend to express their opinion emotionally in a crisis situation.

Using these two messages, propagandists want to shift the responsibility for the actions of the Russians to Ukraine, looking for various excuses and explanations for undermining the dam.

3. Nothing happens in the temporarily occupied territories, everything is under control

The so-called leaders of the temporarily occupied territories, not far from the dam, report that the situation there is normal, and the so-called local authorities keep everything under control. Like, no flooding will occur, evacuation is also not planned.

Taking into account the fact that most of the settlements in the temporarily occupied territories are threatened with flooding due to explosions, such positioning is cynical and looks like a disregard for the lives of civilians. In addition, in this way Russia shows its true attitude towards the threat of an ecological catastrophe caused by undermining.

4. Ukraine is in a panic, and the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant will soon burst

While, according to propagandists, “everything is calm in Russia”, Ukraine is panicking. Like, drinking water is already being bought up in Kryvyi Rih, and Ukrainian officials are allegedly talking about the critical state of the threat to the ZNPP, which could cause it to break out.

Such reports about the situation with drinking water in Kryvyi Rih can only be found in anonymous channels with pro-Russian rhetoric. In addition, Energoatom officially announced that the explosion of the Kakhovka HPP, although it is an additional threat to the ZNPP, is currently under control, since water for cooling the plant is used from internal storage facilities. Local authorities of territories in the flood zone organize the evacuation of civilians and provide support.

Using these two messages, propagandists want to play on a false contrast and show Ukraine in a worse light than Russia. They say that in Ukraine they only panic and neglect their lives, while Russia calmly saves people. However, in reality, the situation is the opposite - the Russians are silent about the scale of the threat, and the Ukrainians are trying to cope with the consequences of the explosion.