08 WAR AND WATER RESERVOIRS IN UKRAINE
There are 1,054 water reservoirs in Ukraine, including 6 large reservoirs on the Dnieper River, and the large Dniester Dam. The remaining reservoirs are categorised as medium, small and very small.
Large dams in Ukraine hold 85% of all stored water, with the rest distributed among smaller, locally significant dams that primarily supply water to industrial regions such as Kharkiv, Donetsk and Dnipropetrovsk. The total volume of all reservoirs is 55.13 km³, with the Dnieper Cascade accounting for 43.71 km³. These water bodies are crucial for the Ukrainian economy. About 28% of the reservoirs are leased.
Dnieper cascade dams
The Dnieper River, Europe's fourth largest waterway, stretches 2,285 km through Belarus and Ukraine, emptying into the Black Sea. A series of dams were constructed on the Dnieper between 1932 and 1976. The reservoirs are used for electricity generation, water supply, irrigation, fishing, shipping, recreation and flood prevention. Hydropower plants along the Dnieper generate 9 TWh of electricity per year.
Disasters associated with attacks on dams
In early March 2022, the Kozarovychi Dam on the Irpin River (at the Kyiv Dam) was blown up to hinder the advance of Russian invasion troops towards the Ukrainian capital. The ensuing flood inundated large areas, significantly complicating access to Kyiv.
On 6 June 2023, the Kakhovka Dam, under Russian control since the invasion began in 2022, was destroyed. The breach in the 30-metre-high dam caused extensive flooding, impacting 80 villages along both sides of the Dnieper, including Kherson. This destruction of the dam also disrupted the water supply to Crimea and deprived Ukrainian farmers of irrigation for 600,000 hectares (6,000 km2) of fertile land. Over 11,388 tonnes of fish were lost.
Kyiv Dam – volume: 3.73 km³, water area: 922 km², completed in 1966
Kaniv Dam – volume: 2.5 km³, water area: 582 km², completed in 1976
Kremenchuk Dam – volume: 13.52 km³, water area: 2,252 km², completed in 1961
Kamianske Dam – volume: 2.46 km³, water area: 567 km², completed in 1964
Dnieper Dam – volume: 3.32 km³, water area: 410 km², completed in 1932
Kakhovka Dam – volume: 18.18 km³, water area: 2,155 km², completed in 1956
Satellite image of the Kakhovka Dam before destruction, on 3 June 2023
Satellite image of the Kakhovka Dam after destruction, on 20 June 2023
Dniester Dam
The Dniester River, 1,352 km long, flows through southwestern Ukraine and Moldova, emptying into the Black Sea. The Dniester Dam, completed in 1983, has a volume of 3 km³.