| The Kakhovka dam in Ukraine was designed to withstand almost any attack imaginable from the outside. Evidence reviewed by The New York Times clearly suggests that Russia blew it up from within. |
| The dam, which is controlled by Russia, was built during Soviet times, which meant that Moscow had the structure’s engineering drawings and knew about its Achilles’ heel: a small passage underneath the dam reachable from the machine room. This passageway, the evidence suggests, is where an explosive charge detonated and destroyed the dam. |
| Details: Seismic sensors in Ukraine and Romania detected the telltale signs of large explosions on the day of the collapse, and U.S. intelligence satellites captured infrared heat signals that also indicated an explosion. Additionally, as water levels fell, the section that collapsed was no longer visible above the water line — strong evidence that the foundation had suffered structural damage, engineers said. |
| Nuclear: The top U.N. nuclear official recently visited the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant and said that it had a “few months” of water left to cool the reactors and spent fuel rods, and that the authorities there had started to take steps to replenish the supply. |
* replenish : to make something full again, or to bring it back to its previous level by replacing what has been used
* withstand : to be strong enough not to be harmed or destroyed by something
Their marriage did not withstand four years’ separation during the war.