Belgorod Reservoir Dam Damaged in Suspected Ukrainian Strike, Satellite Images Show
The Belgorod Reservoir dam was damaged on July 19, likely from a Ukrainian strike, according to satellite imagery and local media reports.
The Belgorod Reservoir dam was damaged on July 19, likely from a Ukrainian strike, the Belgorod-based news outlet Pepel reported, citing anonymous sources and satellite imagery.
Pepel’s analysis of the imagery found that a spillway section roughly 30 meters long had been damaged, with water pouring through unchecked. The road running along the dam’s crest was also compromised, Pepel’s sources said. As floodwater made its way downstream, the Nezhegol River began to rise. Beaches in Shebekino, the town the river runs through, were already flooded.
The Belgorod Reservoir dam had been damaged once before, in the fall of 2025. Authorities said repairs at the time took five days. Pepel believes the current damage is more serious.
In the summer of 2023, the Kakhovka dam in Ukraine’s Kherson region collapsed. Several dozen settlements in the Kherson and Mykolaiv regions were flooded. Russia and Ukraine blamed each other for the disaster.
