The 2023 breach of the Kakhovka dam drained a huge reservoir and exposed a vast area of toxic sediment, creating a debate about how best to rebuild after the Russia-Ukraine war

Water is misused as a weapon when infrastructure and water resources are deliberately destroyed in armed conflicts. Water resources and infrastructure are also affected by the ongoing armed conflict in Ukraine: In June 2023,

The destruction of Ukraine’s Kakhovka dam in June 2023 exposed lake bed sediment containing more than 90,000 tons of toxic heavy metals, setting off what researchers say is a toxic “time bomb.”