The Oskil Reservoir was among the ten largest in Ukraine by area and volume, but in spring 2022 Russian forces deliberately destroyed its dam.

This was reported by the Office of the Prosecutor General on February 18.

An indictment has been sent to court against two Russian generals:

Oleh Makovetskyi, commander of the 6th Air and Air Defense Army of the Western Military District, a native of Kharkiv region, and

Oleh Tsokov, commander of the 20th Combined Arms Army of the same district.

Under their orders, aviation strikes were carried out on the dam from fighter jets — using Kh-59 missiles and FAB-250/500/1500 high-explosive bombs.

Evidence was collected directly at the scene. The Armed Forces of Ukraine shot down the fighter jet that conducted the strikes. In September 2022, during their retreat from the Kharkiv region, Russian troops mined and blew up the sluice structures of the dam. The dam was completely destroyed.

The reservoir lost up to 70% of its water, and fertile soils were washed away. The ecosystem of the Siverskyi Donets River suffered destructive changes. Flora and fauna were under threat of destruction.

Comprehensive forensic engineering-environmental, technical, and economic examinations confirmed: this is a socio-technogenic-environmental catastrophe that resulted in a state-level emergency.

Environmental damage amounts to more than 39.1 billion hryvnias. The destruction of hydraulic structures is not a military necessity. It is a deliberate attack on civilians and the environment.

“Oskil Reservoir existed. Russia did everything to make it disappear. These crimes have specific perpetrators, and they will be held accountable”, — the statement reads.