The Nova Kakhovka Dam Collapse as an Example of Russia’s Hybrid Warfare in Ukraine: A Threat to Environmental Security and Beyond?
The Nova Kakhovka Dam Collapse as an Example of Russia’s Hybrid Warfare in Ukraine: A Threat to Environmental Security and Beyond?

Summary/Abstract: On February 24, 2022, Russia launched a full-scale war against Ukraine. On June 6, 2023, the Russianarmy blew up the Nova Kakhovka dam causing an ecological catastrophe that President of Ukraine Volo-dymyr Zelenskyy described as “ecocide” and addressed the international community to help to hold thoseresponsible accountable for this monstrous crime. The main goal of this article is to explore the long-termresults of the Kakhovka dam tragedy, which had an unmatched negative effect on environmental security inUkraine, but is it limited only to ecology? Hypothesis in this paper states that the Kakhovka dam collapsecaused a long-time negative impact on a number of non-military security dimensions. The present articleis divided into three parts. The first one presents the Russia-Ukraine war as a background, the next sectionexplains reasons of the dam’s destruction and its short-term outcomes, whereas the final part analyzesthe impact of the dam collapse on environmental security, as well as revises hypothesis by providinga list of its long-term effects transcending the scope of environmental security. The study proves that thelong-lasting consequences of the Kakhovka dam collapse in Ukraine are not restricted to environmentalsecurity, but also apply to economic security, food security, energy security and even cultural security. Inthe conclusion, the author shares her opinion on the topic and policy recommendations. Methodology ofthis research is mostly based on a desk review of journalist English- and Ukrainian-taught articles, severalscientific elaborations, expert interviews and official information from the President Zelenskyy website.Since the Kakhovka dam collapse is a relatively recent event, the current research includes only a limitednumber of scientific elaborations.

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