Investing.com - The Kakhovka Dam incident on June 6 has temporarily hindered Ukraine's troops from crossing the Dnipro River, but this advantage for Russia may not last long. As floodwaters recede and the river returns to its previous state, new challenges such as washed-up land mines and debris emerge. However, the changing landscape could also create potential opportunities for Ukrainian forces.
With a shift in the watercourse separating Ukrainian forces from occupied lands on the eastern banks of the reservoir, organizations like the Washington-based Institute for the Study of War are updating their maps to reflect these changes. The counteroffensive by Ukrainian forces aims to regain lost territory following Russia's invasion last year.
Illya Perevozchykov, head of Ukraine’s national meteorological service hydrology department highlights that the key question centers around what remains underwater after destruction which determines water levels left behind in reservoirs along with additional factors such as silt drying timeframes.
For now, both sides acknowledge that flooding eliminates threats across Dnipro while Russian commanders redeploy troops further eastward based on comments made by President Putin who referred breach as being "better" them despite losses incurred during week-old counteroffensive actions taken against the Russian army position near Kyiv (Ukraine).
If the entire reservoir empties completely, then reduced depth between Nova Kakhovka-Zaporizhzhia regions would make it much easier to cross over into enemy territory due smaller span needed to traverse the North side dam area.
The Dnipro River has historical significance for Ukraine: it supported factories, the Enerhodar nuclear power plant, and Europe's largest agricultural irrigation system. The loss of this water supply would impact 584,000 hectares of arable land that produced $1.5 billion worth of grain and oilseeds in 2021. However, despite potential damage to agriculture and steel production sectors, Dragon Capital doesn't expect any significant changes to its growth forecasts due to the current economy performing better than anticipated.
Hydrologist Illya Perevozchykov notes that such a flood event is unprecedented not only in Ukraine but also across Europe as a whole.