Camilla Jessen
A drone strike on a dam in Russia’s Belgorod region has flooded key Russian positions.
Russian forces operating near Vovchansk in Ukraine’s Kharkiv region have been cut off from their main supply lines after a Ukrainian drone strike damaged the Belgorod Reservoir dam, the Ukrainian military reported on Oct. 26.
According to Ukraine’s 16th Army Corps, the strike caused a rapid drop in water levels behind the dam and released floodwaters toward the Siverskyi Donets River, swamping Russian defensive lines and underground shelters.
“Units that managed to cross the Siverskyi Donets have been effectively isolated from their main forces,” the army corps said in a statement.
Russian brigades face evacuation and disruption
The flooding reportedly affected logistics routes near the villages of Hrafivka and along the river. Russian officials in Shebekino district, just across the border in Belgorod region, confirmed flooding in at least 10 areas and announced partial evacuations.
Monitoring reports suggest the strike has endangered four Russian brigades—the 128th, 116th, 68th and 136th—currently operating near the Vovchansk front.
Earlier blow to Russian river crossing efforts
Throughout the summer, Russian forces had used low water levels to move troops and equipment more easily across rivers in the region. Ukrainian officials say Russian units made limited gains but suffered heavy losses, with some battalions reportedly nearing collapse.
In April, Ukraine’s 66th Mechanized Brigade destroyed a Russian KRVD bridge-laying vehicle as it attempted to deploy a crossing over the Chornyi Zherebets River—effectively halting a key armored route.
This article is made and published by Camilla Jessen, which may have used AI in the preparation
