Read also: Drone footage shows ruins of Kakhovka Dam, areas flooded two days after Russian attack
NV: Western media, including the NYT, and Ukrainian officials, including HUR, said the explosion at the Kakhovka dam was most likely caused by an internal explosion. HUR reported in April 2022 that Russian forces had planted explosives along the dam and sooner or later the dam would be destroyed. Does that seem fair to you?
Yusov: Yes, unfortunately, that’s how it is. HUR has indeed reported this information and disseminated it publicly, both to our partners and to international institutions. Later, political leaders and the President of Ukraine also publicly reported this information.
It is true that the occupiers mined the dam and the HPP almost immediately after its capture, for fear of a counter-attack by Ukrainian forces, and to prepare for several scenarios. They had been preparing this terrorist act for a long time, and recently they implemented the final decisions for its realization. It was implemented at the highest levels, absolutely. Events and actions of such magnitude are sanctioned by decisions at the highest level. I myself am sure that Vladimir Putin himself gave this order and command.
Read also: Water levels keep rising, farmers face double disaster, Kiev bomb shelters not ready
NV: The head of Kherson’s municipal military administration, Roman Mrochko, said the city was unprepared, with insufficient boats and pipes to pump water, despite the threat to the dam. He said: “We understand that (the destruction of the dam) was dangerous and could happen in theory, but we had no idea it would happen when it happened.”
Did Ukrainian intelligence know that Russian forces, specifically on or around June 5 or 6, were planning to blow up the Kakhovka dam?
Yusov: When we talk about the mining (of the dam), then yes, it was public and known throughout Ukraine. And has been known for a while. It is quite another to have information about the intention to commit a crime and the will to commit it.
Read also: Over 700 Ukrainian civilians injured by landmines, including up to 100 children
Naturally, we had no information on when the button would be pressed and the detonator would go off. Only the possibility – since (the dam) had been mined, it is a proven fact, and this, unfortunately, happened and happened in our lifetime.
All information about the enemy, his movements, his forces and his resources, his plans and his intentions are constantly provided to the military-political leadership and, therefore, this is worked along the line of the military administrations.
NV: Do the Ukrainian intelligence services know what the occupying Russian soldiers are doing on the left bank of the Kherson region? It seems that their first and second lines of defense (those of the Russians) have been swept away. So what are the Russian forces doing there now?
Read also: British intelligence services will investigate in detail the destruction of the Kakhovka dam
Yusov: They are completing their withdrawal, and some of their divisions had withdrawn earlier. A small amount of enemy mobile forces were deployed along the front lines, but obviously, for security reasons, even part of the Ruscist forces were not informed of the time of this crime.
But yes, they are withdrawing and partially redeploying to other previously prepared positions. The enemy is now falling back to one of these prepared lines to the south and east of the occupied territories.
NV: Does Russian tactics change because of the destruction of the Kakhovka dam? Will this affect the course of the war? Does intelligence know anything about it?
Yusov: Their tactics in this direction, in general, have not changed.
In fact, it is very interesting to follow the different types of lies that have spread this morning from the Russian propaganda, the military and the political leaders of the aggressor nation. One element of these lies is that Ukraine made this breach to stop further advances by the Ruscists on Kherson. But they had planned no offensive advance and there was no corresponding concentration of forces. The enemy in this region has systematically moved towards the defense.
Read also: Ukraine gains ground near Bakhmut, town now half surrounded – MoD
Later, these statements disappeared: they themselves claimed to carry out specifically defensive actions in this region. Bakhmut and the Bakhmut Axis are currently and remain the hottest and most active, from the standpoint of enemy action. In general, the actions of the enemy in the Kherson region have not changed.
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Read the original article on The New Voice of Ukraine