GenZedong

Ukraine is most likely the culprit here, as it gives them an excuse to push back their “counteroffensive” while saving face for themselves and their overlords.

While also manufacturing yet another atrocity, which as we can see in the western internet, are super popular among the bootlickers which add to the war fervor in the west by itself.

Also it was a strategic target, it does make things harder for Russia.

Finally, see the below pic from Wapo: UA had the plans for blowing the dam last year, but they "held off". But between the dwindling help from the west, recent Russian bombings of ammo depots and the bloodbath at Bakhmut one thing is increasingly more clear: there is no getting back the lost territories. Which therefore went from cathegory "temporarily occupied" to "theirs" and thus might as well destroy the crucial infrastructure.