War zone villagers flee after massive Ukraine dam destroyed

Drone footage shows a burning armoured vehicle in an unidentified location after the Defence Ministry in Moscow said that Russian forces have thwarted a major Ukrainian offensive in the southern Ukrainian region of Donetsk, in this still image taken from a handout video released June 5, 2023. Russian Defence Ministry/Handout via REUTERS

KHERSON, Ukraine (Reuters) - A torrent of water burst through a massive dam on the Dnipro River that separates Russian and Ukrainian forces in southern Ukraine on Tuesday, flooding a swathe of the war zone, forcing villagers to flee and prompting finger-pointing from both sides.

Ukraine said Russia had committed a deliberate war crime in blowing up the Soviet-era Nova Kakhovka dam, which powered a hydroelectric station. The Kremlin blamed Ukraine, saying it was trying to distract from the launch of a major counteroffensive Moscow says is faltering.