WASHINGTON — A senior Biden administration official says that U.S. spy satellites detected an explosion at the Kakhovka dam simply earlier than it collapsed, however American analysts nonetheless have no idea who prompted the dam’s destruction or how precisely it occurred.
The official stated that satellites outfitted with infrared sensors detected a warmth signature in keeping with a serious explosion simply earlier than the dam collapsed, unleashing large floodwaters downstream.
American intelligence analysts suspect that Russia was behind the dam’s destruction, the senior administration official stated, talking on the situation of anonymity to debate operational particulars. However he added that U.S. spy companies nonetheless wouldn’t have any stable proof about who was accountable.
Seismic knowledge picked up by the NORSAR observatory in Norway additionally supported the speculation there had been massive explosion close to Kakhovka dam on Tuesday at 2:54 a.m. native time, when the construction collapsed. NORSAR stated in an announcement that alerts captured from a station 385 miles away from the dam present clear indications of an explosion.
Engineering and munitions consultants have stated a deliberate explosion contained in the Kakhovka dam, which is managed by Russia, more than likely prompted its collapse on Tuesday. They added that structural failure or an assault from exterior the dam have been doable however much less believable explanations.
The administration official didn’t rule out the chance that prior injury to the dam or mounting water strain may need contributed to the collapse, however American officers imagine the explosion, whether or not deliberate or unintended, was the doubtless set off.
Consultants had cautioned earlier this week that the obtainable proof was very restricted, however they stated {that a} blast in an enclosed area, with all of its power utilized in opposition to the construction round it, would do essentially the most injury. Even then, they stated, it might require lots of of kilos of explosives, no less than, to breach the dam.
An exterior detonation by a bomb or missile would exert solely a fraction of its power in opposition to the dam, and would require an explosive many occasions bigger to realize an analogous impact.
Ukraine’s intelligence company, the SBU, says it’s persevering with to collect proof to help its declare that Russia destroyed the dam. On Friday, Ukrainian intelligence launched an audio recording, translated into English, that it claimed was between two Russian troopers and was proof that Russian forces orchestrated the destruction of the dam.
One of many audio system on the telephone name says that Ukrainian forces didn’t trigger the destruction. “It was our sabotage group,” the speaker says. “They wished to, type of, scare with this dam. It went not as deliberate, however greater than they deliberate.”
The Ukrainians didn’t present fundamental particulars that might enable impartial verification of the tape, together with who the contributors have been, why the speaker may need identified what occurred and why anybody may need been listening to this specific name.
Artem Dekhtyarenko, press secretary for the SBU, stated in a written message that the decision occurred on Thursday, however that different particulars, such because the audio system’ places and identities, have been being withheld as a result of “this document is a component of legal proceedings.”
Russian officers have provided a collection of various explanations for the destruction, together with accusing Ukraine of sabotage, with out providing proof or explaining how Ukraine would have gained entry to the dam.
Marc Santora and Gabriela Sá Pessoa contributed reporting from Kyiv.
