The Kakhovka Dam was breached in the early hours of 6 June 2023, causing extensive flooding along the lower Dnieper river, also called the Dnipro, in Kherson Oblast. The dam was under the control of the Russian military, which had seized it in the early days of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Many experts concluded that Russian forces likely blew up a segment of the dam to hinder the planned Ukrainian counter-offensive, and Ukraine specifically blamed Russia's 205th Separate Guards Motor Rifle Brigade. Russian authorities have denied the accusations.