Russia says Ukrainian attacks damage Belgorod dam equipment

Ukrainian attacks damaged hydraulic equipment at the Belgorod Reservoir during the weekend, causing an uncontrolled release of water, authorities in Russia's Belgorod region said Tuesday.

The regional operational headquarters said damage to the purely civilian infrastructure was caused by Ukrainian military shelling.

"As a result of shelling from the armed forces of Ukraine over the weekend, equipment at the Belgorod Reservoir's hydraulic engineering complex was damaged, resulting in a water discharge," it said.

Authorities said Ukrainian forces had continued targeting the dam after the water release and that the attacks were ongoing.

"The Ukrainian military continue to deliberately attack the Belgorod Reservoir dam after the water discharge occurred. The strikes have not stopped," it said.

Officials said regional authorities were working with the federal agency responsible for the reservoir to stabilize the situation.

Regional authorities warned that a more serious breach of the dam could pose a flooding risk to nearby settlements and thousands of people could be affected if the structure were to sustain more extensive damage.