Russian occupiers blew up the Kurakhove water reservoir dam in the village of Stari Terny, Donetsk region, a soldier of the 24th Separate Assault Battalion "Aidar" and the mayor of the town of Henichesk in Kherson region, Stanislav Buniatov, has said on Monday.

"Several villages in the direction of Bohatyr (15 kilometers west of the dam) have been flooded. The roads remain usable, but with certain nuances, the movement of armored vehicles on dirt roads around these settlements is of course limited," he said in a Telegram message.

Head of Kurakhove Town Military Administration Roman Padun, for his part, said that the water level really began to rise in the villages located near the Terny dam, but it is impossible to assess the nature of the damage to the dam now.

"We know that there is water coming through the villages located near the Terny dam. We cannot confirm the nature of the damage and how critical its condition is. We cannot inspect the dam now because of the constant shelling," he told Suspilne Donbas.

According to the official, there is data that the water is approaching the settlements of the Velyka Novosilka community.

"There is water coming there as if the floodgates are open. We state the fact that the dam is probably damaged," Padun said.

The town of Kurakhove is located on the bank of the Kurakhove reservoir on the Vovcha River. Below Stari Terny, in the floodplain of the Vovcha River, there are villages and settlements Dachne, Shevchenko, Ulakly, Andriyivka, Kostiantynopil, Oleksiyivka, Bohatyr, Zeleny Kut, Novoukrainka of the Velyka Novosilka community, Volnovakha district, Donetsk region.

Evacuation teams of the police, the State Emergency Service, as well as volunteers are working in the area to evacuate civilians. All willing civilians can leave the flooded areas.