Assessing the Environmental and Political Fallout of Ukraine's Dam Breach.

The destruction of the Kakhovka dam in southern Ukraine caused an estimated $1.5 billion in damages to the environment, according to Kyiv. The breach of the dam on June 6 caused devastating floods in the Kherson region, forcing thousands to flee and sparking fears of an environmental disaster. Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmygal accused Moscow of "ecocide" by blowing up the Soviet-era dam on the Dnipro River, while Russia has blamed Ukraine. The overall cost of Ukraine's reconstruction, estimated at $411 billion by the World Bank, will grow, especially after the Russians blew up the Kakhovka hydroelectric power plant.