NYT: explosion in technical tunnel controlled by Russian military can be behind Kakhovka dam collapse

The Kakhovka hydroelectric dam was possibly destroyed after an explosion went off in a technical passageway located in the building’s foundation, The New York Times investigation reads.

To prove this theory, the newspaper shows a video published by the MilInfoLive Telegram channel ten days after the incident. Journalists note that the concrete base is not visible at the place where the dam was breached.

The dam’s base contained a technical passageway that served as the entryway into the machine hall controlled by Russian forces. The tunnel’s existence is documented in engineering drawings and corroborated by engineer Ihor Strelets who spent several months working at the dam in the past.

Strelets also confirmed that the Kakhovka dam’s foundations were constructed in a way to withstand almost any outside interference. Therefore, he and other surveyed experts believe that the passageway explosion led to the dam’s demise.

The New York Times also cites data recorded by seismic stations and satellites which captured infrared heat signals to prove the explosion theory.

Earlier, Norwegian scientists from the NORSAR institute reported that they detected seismic waves on the day when the Kakhovka dam collapsed. According to them, the time and location of the signals coincide with the media reports about the dam breach.