As soon as the water supply to Crimea is restored, Ukraine will lose the main instrument of blackmailing the peninsula. This was announced on Tuesday, October 20, by the vice-speaker of the Crimean parliament Vladimir Bobkov.
“Ukraine has deprived Crimea of ​​the supply of Dnieper water via the North Crimean Canal, but now this is not a lever of blackmail and pressure. This was originally their weak card. The problem of water shortage in the region will be finally resolved, “RIA Novosti quotes him.
Bobkov noted that the problem of water shortage in the Republic of Crimea arose a long time ago, which Kiev took advantage of. However, according to him, the Russian authorities are working to resolve this problem.
“Today, for the peninsula, which has received a modern transport and energy infrastructure, which is gradually emerging from international isolation, one of the extreme large-scale obvious problems is water supply, and the government of the Russian Federation knows this. The funds allocated to Crimea are a response to various skeptics and blackmailers who organized a water blockade of the peninsula. The water blockade of Ukraine failed, “Bobkov said.
The vice-speaker predicted that at first the Ukrainian authorities would criticize and question the comprehensive plan for sustainable water supply to the peninsula, and after its implementation, they would ignore and try to silence the successes of Russian Crimea.
On the eve of the head of Crimea Sergey Aksenov said that the implementation of the plan of the Russian government to ensure a reliable water supply to the peninsula will provide an additional supply of 310 thousand cubic meters of water per day to the peninsula.
On the same day, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, in talks with the Secretary General of the Council of Europe (CE) Maria Peichinovich-Burich, stressed that the water blockade of Crimea is unacceptable.
On October 19, Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin said that Crimea will receive about 50 billion rubles to modernize the water supply system, the bulk will be allocated from the federal budget
Since the beginning of September, in Simferopol and 39 settlements of the Simferopol and Bakhchisarai regions, the third stage of water supply restrictions has begun due to drought and the shallowing of the Ayan, Partizansky and Simferopol reservoirs. It was noted that 29 settlements switched to hourly water supply and water supply.
The main rivers of Crimea are dry or shallow due to prolonged drought. The Ukrainian Foreign Ministry announced that it would restore the water supply to the peninsula only after its “de-occupation”.
The problem with water supply on the peninsula began in 2014, when Kiev unilaterally cut off water from the Kherson region, supplied through the North Crimean canal, which provided up to 90% of the region’s needs. Now Crimeans get water from local sources.
Crimea became part of Russia following a referendum held in 2014. Kiev does not recognize the voting results. Moscow, on the other hand, has repeatedly stated that the process took place in full compliance with the norms of international law. Russian President Vladimir Putin said that the question of the ownership of the region is “closed forever.”