- By Steph. G. Haslton
- (General Dispatch) – Ukrainian government minister Ihor Yaremenko announced that Crimea could have freshwater service problems following the occupation by Russian military.
- The Ukrainian government as a protest measure against the annexation of Crimea to the Russian government acted, blocking a 250-mile canal that provides the country with fresh water in 2014, and the previous year the situation worsened after a drought.
- Yaremenko said he regrets that these actions are being taken by Ukraine, but he is against the Russian government’s ongoing meddling in the Crimean peninsula.
- “I believe that Russia will redirect all water resources as much as possible to provide them to privileged categories: the army, the leadership of the occupation authorities, etc.” Yaremenko said.
- The minister said that since the war began, the blockade of water supply affected the Crimean agriculture that depended on it to spray the crop, now what little fresh water there is at the moment will be used by the Russian military.
- Although Ukraine was the largest supplier of fresh water to Crimea, in 2020 it presented serious complications due to drought, and the collapse of some reservoirs, on the other hand the military does not allow small communities to make use of fresh water.
- The Ukrainian government said that if Russia desists from its occupation, it can again provide fresh water to Crimea, but such a statement may not materialize, as the canal became unusable.
Adittional Information:
Breitbart: Ukraine Claims Russia-Occupied Crimea Is Running Out of Water
Obozrevatel: Ukraine reminded Crimeans why Russia needs fresh water on the peninsula
