Zelenskiy accuses Russia of plotting to blow up Ukrainian dam

President says destruction of Nova Kakhovka dam would mean large-scale disaster for towns and cities

Ukraine's president, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, has accused Russia of plotting to blow up the two-mile Nova Kakhovka dam in the south of the country, warning its destruction would cause a large-scale disaster" affecting towns and cities.

The 30 metre-high dam, which holds back 18m cubic metres of water, straddles the Dnieper River upstream from Russian-held Kherson and is about 20 miles from advancing Ukrainian forces hoping to recapture both it and the occupied city.