The 16th Army Corps of the Armed Forces of Ukraine has reported that the dam near Russia's Belgorod has begun leaking water following a strike, leaving Russian units that crossed the Siverskyi Donets River near the town of Vovchansk in Kharkiv Oblast effectively cut off from their main forces.

Source: 16th Army Corps of the Armed Forces of Ukraine; Vyacheslav Gladkov, Governor of Russia's Belgorod Oblast

Details: Gladkov said on 25 October that "there is damage to the dam of the Belgorod Reservoir as a result of a strike by the Armed Forces of Ukraine".

"We understand that the enemy may attempt to strike again and destroy the dam. If that happens, there will be a risk of flooding in the river's floodplain on the side of Kharkiv Oblast and several streets in our settlements, home to around 1,000 residents," he wrote.

According to Gladkov, the Russian authorities have proposed that residents of certain streets in the settlements of Bezlyudovka, Novaya Tavolzhanka and Shebekino be relocated to temporary accommodation centres in Belgorod.

On the night of 25-26 October, Gladkov added that water has only partially flooded just over 10 private garden plots, and no homes have been affected.

On 26 October, the 16th Army Corps of the Armed Forces of Ukraine issued a statement on the situation in the Vovchansk area of Kharkiv Oblast. It noted that the Russians have achieved some local successes, but at the cost of heavy losses.

Quote from the 16th Army Corps: "As of today, the situation is no longer in the Russians' favour. After the strike on the Belgorod dam, it has started leaking. Russian media reports say that the reservoir's water level has dropped by one metre in just one day. As they say, trouble has begun – or more precisely, water has started flowing into the Siverskyi Donets. Some Russian dugouts are reported to have been flooded.

But the main thing is that the enemy's logistics have become significantly more complicated. The leaves have fallen too. So the units that managed to cross the Siverskyi Donets have effectively been cut off from their main forces. So we're expecting the [POW] exchange pool to be replenished."

For reference: The Belgorod Reservoir is located on the Siverskyi Donets River in Belgorod Oblast, Russia, within the Belgorod and Shebekino districts. The dam structure is situated near the village of Bezlyudovka in the Shebekino district.

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