Water Crisis in Occupied Donbas: How Millions of People Ended Up Without Water Supply.

According to FREEДOM:

Water Supply Crisis in Occupied Donetsk

The situation with water supply in the temporarily occupied territories of Donetsk has reached a critical point. Six large settlements have switched to a reduced water supply schedule. This was reported by the Center for Counteracting Disinformation (CPD) under the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine (NSDC). The Russian occupiers claim that the reason is an emergency on the main water pipeline.

Humanitarian Catastrophe

In the midst of the hot summer of 2025, the occupied territories of Donetsk find themselves on the brink of a humanitarian catastrophe. Water has ceased to flow to Yenakiieve, Debaltseve, and Bunhe, while Kreminna, Zhdanivka, and Shakhtarsk receive only half of the already small amounts. Residents of Mariupol are also concerned about this situation.

'I am addressing on behalf of all the residents of our Soviet farm Azovskyi. We have had no water for over a month. About two weeks ago, we were noticed, and water began to be delivered in barrels,' a local resident said.

Conflicts Over Water

In occupied Donetsk, mornings have become routine: dozens of people queue daily for water. Locals complain that while water was partially supplied until June, it is now absent in many areas. Searching for water at neighbors' often leads to conflicts, as people accuse each other of 'stealing water.'

'People who want water go to neighboring houses; they are chased away, and it even leads to fights,' a Donetsk resident says.

Water Prices and Tariff Issues

In stores or vending machines, residents of occupied Donetsk are forced to pay 5 rubles for a liter of drinking water, while in Russian Rostov, bottled water costs half as much. Bills from the water utility arrive regularly, while tariffs are calculated based on a full norm of water that is actually not supplied.

'Those who start to reach out are having their phone numbers blocked,' a local resident complains.

Plans of the Occupying Administration

The leadership of the Russian occupying administration plans to suspend industry operations due to the water collapse. The head of the administration, Pushilin, stated that water will only be available after the capture of Sloviansk. Many residents of Donetsk hoped for the city's liberation after a visit to the Kremlin, but the situation remains unchanged.

'I have always thought that Pushilin is being kept so that at some point, all the blame can be shifted to him and he can be released, but for now, he is not being released,' said Denis Kazansky, a representative of Ukraine in the Trilateral Contact Group.

Occupiers and Humanitarian Catastrophe

On August 21, Pushilin again promised to resolve the water supply issues, but only after the entire Donetsk is captured. The CPD labeled these statements as propaganda, emphasizing that the Russian army ignored the restoration of water supply infrastructure and shelling destroyed the system.

'In the 21st century, the cities of the occupied part of Donbas have to live in conditions of humanitarian catastrophe,' stressed the CPD.

It is worth recalling that at the beginning of military actions, the Russian army destroyed the important water infrastructure of the Seversky Donets – Donbas channel, which provided more than 90% of the region's water.