Not long after the massive shelling and the tragedy at the Okhmatdyt Children’s Hospital, Russian propagandists began to shake up the good old horror story about blowing up the Kyiv HPP. This was stated by propagandist Zakharova. Why did she say it in the way Russians often like to frame their threats — they called it a “provocation of Kyiv.”
However, such statements are exclusively psychological terror. We spoke with Mark Zheleznyak, professor of the Institute of Environmental Radioactivity at Fukushima University, about the myths and truth surrounding the Kyiv HPP.
What myths are beneficial for Russian propaganda to spread. And which it is important for us not to “buy into”.
Truth / Myth
MESSAGE 1. DO NOT PUT THE “EQUAL” SIGN BETWEEN KYIV AND KAHAVSKY HES.
“Kakhovskaya HPP was destroyed from the inside. What’s more, the explosives were specially planted to destroy the dam. For obvious reasons, the Russians cannot implement this in Kyiv,” says Mark Zhelezniak. This cannot be done with a missile strike.
This information is confirmed by other experts in their comments and statements, which were heard already after the explosion of the Kakhovskaya HPP.
For example, the general director of Ukrhydroenergo Ihor Syrota claimed that “To blow up the dam – what happened in Kakhovka – you need to drop at least three aerial bombs of half a ton in one place. This cannot be done with the strikes of a single missile. It was a very powerful explosion in three places of the station. During the dismantling of our station, we will see it, the examination will prove it”: http://surl.li/rufuvb
MESSAGE 2. THE ATTACK ON THE KYIV HEPP WILL NOT RESULT IN MASS DEATHS.
When Russian rumors about shelling of hydroelectric power stations are spread, it is done to intimidate. People imagine a wave that destroys everything in its path. However, this will not happen, the expert is sure.
“If the emergency services and warning systems work, then people will have time to evacuate from vulnerable areas,” says Zhelezniak.
As scientist Svitlana Galata notes in her article “Kyiv HPP Dam: Are Kyivites Safe”, “In the very first days of the great invasion of the Russian army on the territory of Ukraine, there was a threat of damage to the Kyiv HPP dam”: http://surl.li/nqljhm
A team of scientists made forecasts of the danger and they transferred these results to the State Service for Emergency Situations.
The conclusions based on the research results are as follows:
- the rise of water in the event of damage to the dam will occur gradually;
- the maximum level will be reached after 8-20 hours from the moment of destruction, depending on the distance;
- this time is enough to warn and evacuate people from the most dangerous areas;
- although areas of potential flooding are significant, people only need to climb to the second floor to escape danger.
The last phrase is extremely important, because, in fact, it expresses an important fact:
MESSAGE 3. THERE WILL NOT BE AN APOCALYPSE. YOU CAN SAVE YOURSELF.
Mark Zhelezniak acknowledges that there are certain areas that have a higher risk of flooding. But even there, it is possible to “sit” water on the second floor of your house or your neighbors. If the attack on the Kyiv HPP does happen, it will be an extremely strange waste of the enemy’s resources.
The scientist reminds that even below the completely destroyed Kakhovskaya dam in the territory under our control, the Ukrainian services, warned of the threat, did not allow mass casualties.
If we recall the Kakhovka tragedy, according to the State Emergency Service and government officials, as of August 2023, 180 settlements were in the emergency zone. At least 34 people died, another 28 were injured. 39 people are considered missing.
Almost 4,000 people and hundreds of domestic animals were evacuated from flooded areas.
The number of these deaths is still impossible to accept, but even such destruction did not “wash away” the city. It is impossible to destroy the Kyiv HPP in this way: http://surl.li/rhgsos