The Kakhovka Reservoir held 18 cubic kilometres of water, equivalent to the Great Salt Lake in the United States.

[15][16] During weeks of artillery attacks by Ukraine in August and September, Ukrainian and Russian officials reported that the facility's ability to transport vehicles had been degraded,[17][18] but the dam itself retained structural integrity.

[19] In mid-October 2022, news reports suggested that Russians may have been planning to blow up the dam to slow down the expected Ukrainian counter-offensive in the region.

At that time the Zaporizhzhia Regional Military Administration in a statement suggested that one of the purposes of draining the reservoir might have been to flood the area south of the dam, in order to keep Ukrainian Forces from crossing the Dnipro River.

Officials stated that Ukrhydroenergo, Ukraine's hydro electric company, believed Russian forces "opened the station's locks fearing an advance of Ukrainian soldiers".

[26] In early November 2022, the spillways at the dam had been opened, and the Kakhovka Reservoir dropped to its lowest level in three decades, putting irrigation and drinking water resources at risk, as well as the coolant systems for the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant.

[26] From mid-February to late May 2023, either deliberately or as a result of neglect, the damaged dam was not adjusted to match the seasonal increase in water flow.

[30] On 6 June 2023, an explosion caused significant damage to the central section of the 3.2 kilometres (2.0 mi) wide dam, resulting in uncontrolled water flow downstream.

[citation needed] There was an occurrence of an "internal explosion of the structures" within the dam, according to Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

"[42][43] EU and Ukrainian leaders condemned the dam's destruction and called it a potential war crime[41] but reserved judgement on the attack.

While Russia denies culpability, experts state that a deliberate explosion from inside the Russian-controlled dam is the most probable cause of its destruction.