Beavers Walk Through Ukraine City After Dam Explosion Destroys Homes

Beavers were spotted earlier today following the explosion of the Kakhovka hydroelectric power plant's dam in southern Kherson as escalation between the Russian and Ukrainian forces is once again exhibited.

"There are a lot of beavers in that area, their habitat has been destroyed," tweeted Anton Gerashchenko, an adviser to Ukraine's minister of internal affairs. "Animals are also victims of the ecological catastrophe Russia caused by blowing up Kakhovka hydroelectric power plant."

The attack, which has led to finger-pointing in both directions over who caused the destruction, resulted in flooding in a minimum of eight settlements, prompting immediate evacuation efforts of over 10,000 citizens. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky's office said at least 150 tons of machine oil had been released into the Dnieper River as a result.

"Russian terrorists. The destruction of the Kakhovka hydroelectric power plant dam only confirms for the whole world that they must be expelled from every corner of Ukrainian land," Zelensky said in a statement on Tuesday.

"Not a single meter should be left to them, because they use every meter for terror."

It's strategically defeating to Ukrainian forces, where troops are situated on the river's west bank and in the opposite direction of Russian forces. Andriy Zagorodnyuk, who served as Ukraine's defense minister from 2019 to 2020 and is now an adviser to the Defense Ministry, told Newsweek that the location is now essentially off the table as part of a Ukrainian offensive.

"It effectively makes crossing the river in that area impossible," Zagorodnyuk said. "Even conducting operations in that whole area will be much more difficult."

Andriy Yermak, chief of staff for Zelensky, has warned of the "possible loss of drinking water" for people in southern Kherson and Crimea in addition to "possibly the destruction of some of the settlements and of the biosphere."

While beavers may have survived the destruction of their habitat, in the meantime, fears of approximately 300 animal deaths at the Kakhovka Dibrova Zoo are realized.

Park owner Olena Navrotska believes all the animals—which prior to the incident included monkeys, raccoons, donkeys, ponies, nutrias, various birds, porcupines, marmots, turtles and numerous other species—are dead, according to the online outlet Ukrainska Pravda.

"All the animals have stayed in the park since the first day of the invasion," Navrotska told Ukrainian news outlet UP.Zhyttia. "The animals were stuck in the park; the whole park was mined, covered with trees and dug through with trenches. Evacuation was impossible. We were trying with all our might to keep the animals safe."