After the occupation of Crimea by Russia, water supplies to the peninsula were severed / Photo from UNIAN

Ukraine will not supply water to Russia-occupied Crimea amid the Russian occupation of the peninsula.

This was announced by Deputy Prime Minister for Reintegration of Temporarily Occupied Territories Oleksiy Reznikov at the Special Kyiv Security Forum, the RBC Ukraine news agency reported.

Read alsoUkrainian official warns Russia may try to more actively press for water supplies to Crimea

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According to him, neither formal nor informal negotiations on this issue are currently being held.

He stresses problems with water in Crimea are related with the increased militarization of the occupied peninsula, which entails an increase in water consumption for military purposes.

He reiterated it is entirely the occupying state that is responsible for providing water in the occupied territory.

"Therefore, questions and stories told by the Russian Federation that something is not being resolved there, and that the Ukrainian side should decide are null and of no effect. Today they are responsible for satisfying any humanitarian need, including the water supply," he said.

Water supplies to Crimea: Background

  • On August 24, Simferopol and another 39 settlements of Simferopol and Bakhchisarai districts started imposing restrictions on the supply of water over drought and the shallowing of reservoirs. Drinking water is supplied to households on schedule in the morning and in the evening. On September 23, restrictive measures for water supply were introduced in Alushta, Partenit and Malyi Mayak. Also, water in cisterns is delivered to 29 villages in the north part of Crimea because groundwater wells have gone dry there.
  • The occupying authorities of Crimea announced that they were preparing for a "worst-case scenario" with the water supply to the peninsula.
  • Ukraine provided up to 85% of the peninsula's needs for fresh water through the North Crimean Canal, which linked the Dnieper River with the peninsula.
  • After the occupation of Crimea by Russia in 2014, water supplies to the peninsula were severed.