Ukrainian strikes on Crimea’s energy facilities have left towns without water, and volunteers are stepping up
Social media users, charities, and businesses have begun collecting drinking water for residents of the northern part of annexed Crimea, the independent Russian investigative outlet Agentstvo reports.
Water drives began on VKontakte this week. On July 13, the volunteer movement “We Are Together — Sevastopol” urged its followers to buy drinking water. The next day, the Crimean Tatar organization Achyk Yurekler (Open Hearts) issued a similar appeal. Private individuals and businesses organized more drives.
Denis Tkachuk, a karate coach from Crimea and one of the collection organizers, told Agentstvo that he distributed drinking water in Dzhankoi on July 14. A metric ton of water was gone in 20 minutes, he said. “I drove to a residential neighborhood, stopped near a supermarket, and opened up the car. At first I offered water to a few passersby, and then word of mouth took over,” Tkachuk said.
The drinking water shortage in Crimea is tied to Ukrainian strikes on energy facilities that began in June: without power, pumping stations cannot run. The problem is worst in the north of the peninsula. On July 12, several pro-Russian Telegram channels published an appeal from residents of northern Crimea about the crisis.
“For a week now — seven days — they haven’t turned the power on for even an hour. People are throwing out food, losing their jobs and the lives they were used to. There isn’t even any water in the [outlying] districts, and in the city it’s turned on only partially, four hours a day. […] City and district authorities are not delivering water to communities where there is no water supply at all,” the appeal said.
Ukrainian strikes on energy infrastructure in Crimea are part of Kyiv’s broader campaign to blockade the annexed peninsula. Since May, the campaign has caused fuel shortages, followed by power outages and the shutdown of some businesses. In northern Crimea, residents report that grocery stores are closing because they cannot store perishable goods and face delivery problems.
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