HISTORY

could not be threatened from the outside with

weapons accessible to Ukraine; it had to be

destroyed by an explosion from inside the dam,

where only the Russians had access. They blew

it up to prevent the Ukrainians from attempting

to cross the river. The flooded and waterlogged

areas made it impossible for some time.

However, the result is also a huge

environmental disaster. A significant amount

of chemicals has been released into the river

and subsequently into the sea, causing the

death of many animals. What is even worse,

four irrigation canals that were fed by the

dam have dried up. This will negatively affect

agricultural production and access to drinking

water for hundreds of thousands of people for

many years.

The emptying of the Kakhovka Dam also

poses a threat to the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear

Power Plant. The dam water also served as

a reservoir for cooling the nuclear reactors.

Furthermore, the Russian forces have laid

mines in the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant

complex and are refusing to allow inspectors

from the International Atomic Energy Agency

(IAEA) into some areas.

Prigozhin’s Coup

After all the events in Ukraine, the Russians

turned against each other. On the evening of

June 23, an attempted coup by the Wagner

Group mercenaries began. Its leader, Yevgeny

Prigozhin, called it the "March of Justice," citing

alleged shelling of the base of mercenaries in

eastern Ukraine by the Russian army, which

tried to take control of the group. In reality,

Prigozhin had been planning this uprising for

a long time and had been amassing vehicles,

ammunition, and fuel for it, as western

intelligence agencies discovered from satellite

images.

Prigozhin’s goal was to capture Russian

Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu and Chief of

the General Staff Valery Gerasimov at the

command center in Rostov, near the Ukrainian

border, both of whom he had publicly criticized

for a long time. However, Shoigu and Gerasimov

managed to escape Rostov in time. Prigozhin

only caught their deputies at the command

center. The Wagner Group occupied Rostov

and subsequently started advancing towards

Moscow on Saturday, June 24th. They took over

Voronezh and got within about 200 km of the

capital. Their columns faced little resistance on

the ground, as their path was only obstructed

by roadblocks that could be easily overcome.

The Russian Air Force attempted to resist.

Helicopters, for instance, destroyed a fuel

depot in Voronezh, which the Wagner Group

had occupied. However, the mercenaries

also had air defense systems, which caused

another bleak day for the Russian Air Force. Six

August 2023

Mi-8MTPR-1 shot down by the Wagner Group on June 24 in the Voronezh

region.

Ka-52 registered RF-13418 with

bort number “yellow 72” from the

15th brigade of the Russian Army

Aviation was shot down by the

Wagner Group on June 24th near the

village of Komintern in the Voronezh

region. Lieutenant Colonel Alexey

Vorozhtsov and Lieutenant Denis

Oleynikov were killed.

Burning Il-22M shortly before

crashing into the ground. The tail,

the outer wing parts, and both outer

engines were torn off during the fall.

The wreckage of the Il-22M carrying the registration RF-75917 near Kantemirovka in the Voronezh region. It was also shot down by the Wagner Group on

June 24th.

Funeral of the Il-22M crew in Ivanovo.

INFO Eduard

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