The leader of a group collaborating with Russia in its war with Ukraine said a drop in water levels in the Dnieper River could lead to a Ukrainian offensive along the Zaporozhye front line, especially should the river freeze.

Vladimir Rogov, head of the “We Stand With Russia” movement, told the Soloviev Live TV channel on Monday “there are more options” for Ukraine to cross the river and Russia needs to be prepared, according to Russian state-owned media network TASS.

“There is a wide line of contact ... which means that [the Ukraine military] can start some action anywhere,” Rogov was quoted by TASS. “I am not saying that it is bound to happen, but we need to be prepared for that.”

The Dnieper River is the fourth-longest in Europe and runs from west-central Russia, through Belarus and Ukraine south to the Black Sea. Its route goes through some of the major battlegrounds of the war, including Ukraine’s capital, Kyiv; Zaporozhye, where intense fighting was seen around the nuclear power plant, now controlled by Russia; and the Black Sea port of Kherson, which Ukraine recaptured after driving Russia east across the river. But Russia has built a series of obstacles along the river to prevent Ukraine from crossing it.

Rogov said if the river’s surface froze, which is possible given temperatures in the region have been below freezing, it would be optimal for a Ukraine offensive, given the low water levels. He said he believes Ukraine is purposefully keeping the river levels low by controlling hydraulic power stations and other dams upstream, such as the Dnieper Hydroelectric Station in Zaporozhye, the Kremenchuk Hydroelectric Power Plant and the Middle Dnieper Hydroelectric Station in Kamianske.

“[The] hydraulic locks were closed at all those hydroelectric stations, so the natural flow of water was interrupted," Rogov said.

The Washington Post reported last month Maj. Gen. Andriy Kovalchu, who led Ukraine’s counteroffensive in Kherson, considered flooding the river, even conducting a test strike with an American HIMARS launcher on one of the floodgates at the Nova Kakhovka dam. Three holes were made in the metal to see if the river’s water could be raised enough to stymie Russian crossings but not flood nearby villages.

The test was a success, Kovalchuk said, but the step remained a last resort and he held off.

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