Occupied Donbas territories should be designated an international humanitarian disaster zone – Realna Gazeta

In its ongoing propaganda campaign within the occupied territories, russia has accused Ukraine of causing the humanitarian water crisis in the Donetsk and Luhansk regions, while proposing to address the issue by supplying water from mines.

Andrii Dikhtiarenko, editor-in-chief of Realna Gazeta, spoke on the matter at Media Center Ukraine.

“russia is blaming Ukraine for the humanitarian water crisis in Donetsk, this is evident in comments and public discourse. Yet, even though, in the earliest days of the full-scale invasion, russian forces destroyed water pumping stations that had been providing water throughout years of hybrid occupation, they continue to shift the blame onto Ukraine,” Dikhtiarenko said.

The journalist further explained that russia has initiated construction of the Don-Donbas water utility project, overseen by the russian Ministry of Defense. However, rampant corruption and technical violations during the project’s execution have rendered the canal inoperable.

“This canal is frequently in a state of emergency. The water supply is periodically cut off entirely. This issue is only expected to worsen. The territory must be recognized internationally as a humanitarian disaster zone,” he stressed.

Dikhtiarenko also warned that the occupiers intend to supply mine water to households, which poses serious health risks, as this water contains heavy metals and some of the mines have been sites of nuclear testing.

Read more: https://mediacenter.org.ua/news