International experts: russia is " highly likely" behind the collapse of the dam in Nova Kakhovka
They, in particular, refer to intelligence data
A group of international legal experts assisting Ukraine's Prosecutor General's Office said it is "very likely" that russia was behind the collapse of the Kakhovka dam, according to preliminary findings of an investigation released on Friday.
Experts from the human rights law firm Global Rights Compliance said there is a "high probability" that the June 6 dam collapse "was caused by pre-placed explosives placed at critical points in the dam's structure."
On Saturday and Sunday, the experts visited the affected areas of Kherson region together with Ukrainian prosecutors and representatives of the International Criminal Court.
"Evidence and analysis of available information, including seismic sensors and discussions with leading fracture experts, indicate that there is a high probability that the damage was caused by pre-placed explosives placed at critical points in the dam's structure," the Global Rights Compliance team said in a statement.
The experts rejected the theory that the dam's collapse could have been caused by mismanagement of the facility, saying that "it is highly unlikely that mismanagement alone could explain such a catastrophic failure," the press release said.
The team noted that those who carry out the attack or control the management of the dam will demand access to or control of the site, which is occupied by russia.
British lawyer Catriona Murdoch, who heads the group of experts, said:
"Information available to Global Rights Compliance and verified by an open-source intelligence provider indicates that at this stage it is highly likely that russian forces have deliberately destroyed the dam."
Under international humanitarian law, dams are considered civilian in nature. "Civilians living near the Kakhovka dam were not warned of the attack and were even shelled as they tried to evacuate the flooded areas," Murdoch said.
Yusuf Syed Khan, Senior Associate at Global Rights Compliance:
"What we have documented in Kherson is a horrific crime of starvation. The resonant effects of this attack are undoubtedly huge, far-reaching and intergenerational, as entire agribusiness-related industries have been severely affected."
"The devastation caused by this disaster cannot be overstated and will undoubtedly be felt for years to come," he said.
The disaster has destroyed entire villages, flooded farmland, deprived tens of thousands of people of electricity and clean water, and caused enormous environmental damage.
Background. As a reminder, according to Greenpeace, at least 32 gas stations, warehouses and oil refineries were flooded due to the occupiers' blowing up of the Kakhovka hydroelectric power station.
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