On 28 April 2023, the head of of the Russian occupation administration in the temporarily occupied parts of Donetsk, announced that regional water supplies were dangerously low. Water scarcity has been a growing issue for russian-occupied Donetsk since russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the UK Defense Intelligence reports.
The Siversky-Donets canal which supplies the region remains largely under Ukrainian control but has been frequently contested along its long route. Russian forces have likely been seeking to secure the canal to reduce water scarcity within Donetsk.
Read more: Silent Kayak Operations: Ukrainian Special Forces Master River Crossing
The Siversky-Donets canal traverses through the town of Chasiv Yar, approximately 6km to the west of Bakhmut. Russia’s heavy use of indirect artillery to support the capture of Bakhmut and surrounding territory has likely inflicted collateral damage to the canal and other regional water infrastructure, undermining Russia’s efforts to remedy the lack of water that its invasion originally created.
According to the UK Defense Intelligence, to compensate for its lack of success in capturing and retaining the canal russia is likely constructing a water pipeline to mitigate the water shortage in Donetsk. However, this is highly unlikely to fully compensate for the occupied regions’ reduced access to water.
Read more: Ukrainian Navy Says russia Took Kalibr Carriers Away From Syria Leaving Only One Frigate With 16 Missiles
