Where do the satellite photos of Kakhovka dam, Ukraine come from?

From Esri World Imagery Wayback, the dated archive of Esri's satellite basemap, with imagery by Maxar and partners. The before photo was taken 7 Aug 2022, the after photo 31 Aug 2023.

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Disaster · Before and after

Kakhovka dam, Ukraine

Q: What changed at Kakhovka dam, Ukraine between 7 Aug 2022 and 31 Aug 2023?

Major change. A large section of the dam structure and roadway across cells A2, B2, and C2 is no longer present, leaving open water. The power station facility in cells B2, C2, and C3 is severely damaged, and new exposed land has appeared in cell B3.

Two dated satellite photos of the same spot, 7 Aug 2022 and 31 Aug 2023. Open them in GeoWhisperer to swipe between them, check the pair and read what changed.

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Satellite photo of Kakhovka dam, Ukraine, taken 7 Aug 2022 — Before photo, taken 7 Aug 2022

Satellite photo of Kakhovka dam, Ukraine, taken 31 Aug 2023 — After photo, taken 31 Aug 2023

What changed

Major change. A large section of the dam structure and roadway across cells A2, B2, and C2 is no longer present, leaving open water. The power station facility in cells B2, C2, and C3 is severely damaged, and new exposed land has appeared in cell B3.

Square A2high confidence
Dam structure and roadway no longer present
Before: A diagonal concrete dam structure carrying a paved roadway across open water. After: The dam wall and roadway are missing, leaving open water.
Square B2high confidence
Dam structure missing and building damaged
Before: Diagonal section of the dam, roadway, and part of the power station complex. After: The main dam wall and road are gone, replaced by open water and damaged building remnants near the bottom.
Square B3high confidence
Exposed ground and vegetation above water level
Before: Open green-tinted water covering the entire cell. After: A patch of light-colored ground and green vegetation rising out of the water near the right edge.
Square C2high confidence
Roadway and structure missing or damaged
Before: Curved road section, pier, and building structures linked to the dam. After: The roadway is no longer visible, and remaining structures appear heavily damaged and partially submerged in water.
Square C3high confidence
Shoreline structures damaged and partially submerged
Before: Industrial complex, railway, curved breakwater, and landscaped shore area. After: The curved breakwater and adjacent ground are under water, and the building complex shows heavy damage and debris.

The square is split into nine numbered squares, A1 to C3. The changes above sit in A2, B2, B3, C2, C3.

Differences that are not changes

Things that look different in the two photos but do not mean anything changed on the ground:

Square A1: Slightly different appearance of remaining structure at top left. Not counted: viewing angle.
Square B1: Water tint and clarity difference. Not counted: colour balance.

The photos

Place	Kakhovka dam, Ukraine
Coordinates	46.77750, 33.37060
Before photo taken	7 Aug 2022 · 0.5 m per pixel
After photo taken	31 Aug 2023 · 0.31 m per pixel
Source	Esri World Imagery Wayback (Esri, Maxar and partners)
Category	Disaster

The movie

GeoWhisperer turns this comparison into a short film with numbered markers: watch or download the MP4.

Check it yourself

The reading above was produced by GeoWhisperer from these two photos and nothing else. It describes what is visible, never why it happened or who did it, and it can miss things or misread shadows, season and viewing angle. Check every line by eye with the slider in the tool. Another OSINT tool by Henk van Ess, www.digitaldigging.org.

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