The Armed Forces of Ukraine struck the dam of the Belgorod Reservoir near the border village of Grafovka on Friday, first reported by a source from the MNS Telegram channel. The Ukrainian channel Supernova+ also reported the strike on the dam.
According to preliminary data, the strike was carried out with three GMLRS rockets from a HIMARS installation. As a result of the attack, several structures with technical equipment, the lifting mechanisms of one of the spillway gates, and the crest of the dam were damaged. Two people were injured.
Today, the governor of the Belgorod region, Vyacheslav Gladkov, acknowledged the damage to the Belgorod Reservoir dam and stated the threat of "flooding" of nearby settlements. "As a result of the strike by the Armed Forces of Ukraine, there is damage to the Belgorod Reservoir dam. We understand that the enemy may attempt to strike again and destroy the dam. If this happens, there will be a threat of flooding the river floodplain from the Kharkiv region side and several streets of our settlements, where about 1,000 residents live," he wrote on his Telegram channel.
He also suggested that residents of these settlements move to Belgorod and occupy the city's temporary accommodation centers (TAC).