There is a group that uses explosives to blow up installations and individuals in the town of Nova Kakhovka, the site of the Kakhovka Hydroelectric Power Plant (KHPP) and dam, where explosives destroyed the facility on June 6. It is a partisan guerilla group called “Atesh” (Tatar for “fire"), dedicated to blowing up all things Russian.
They were formed in late September, 2022, along with other partisan guerilla units working under the Military Intelligence Directorate (GUR) of Ukraine’s Ministry of Defense, such as the “Russian Volunteer Corps.” Their official Telegram channel claimed credit for killing 30 Russian servicemen in hospitals in Simferopol on November 11, 2022; the killing of two Russian National Guard officers on January 31, 2023; a car bomb attack in Nova Kakhovka that killed two Russian soldiers on February 10, 2023; and the bomb attack killing of the deputy head of the military administration of Nova Kakhovka on March 14, 2023. They also claim responsibility for the May 6, 2023, car bomb attempt, inside Russia, that wounded author Zakhar Prilepin.
Over the last year, the operators of the KHPP have reported problems in keeping the facility running properly, due to various attacks, including smaller attacks over the last month.
