Russia targets dams as Ukrainian troops push south

Russia targets dams as Ukrainian troops push south
Defense officials say Russian tactics to flood Ukrainian forces are not working
Western defense officials said Saturday that Russian forces are attempting to slow Ukrainian troops advancing south from the Kharkiv region by targeting dams and flooding cross points.

The United Kingdom’s Ministry of Defense confirmed reports this week that Russian attacks on Sept. 21 and 22 relied on short-range ballistic missiles or "similar weapons" to hit the Pechenihy dam, which sits on the Siverskyy Donets River, where Ukrainian forces are advancing down.

The attacks followed a similar Sept. 15 strike in central Ukraine on the Karachunivske dam near Kryvyi Rih, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s hometown, the Defense Ministry said in its daily intelligence update.