The Ukrainian Foreign Ministry declared a state of war with Russia
Ukraine is not going to resume water supplies through the North Crimean Canal to the peninsula.
The country's Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced this, reports a PolitNavigator correspondent.
In a commentary by the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry on the situation with water supply to the peninsula, it is said that the launch of the canal can only be discussed in the event of the “return” of Crimea. At the same time, the Ukrainian department assigned responsibility for water supply to Russia and considered that the countries were in a state of war.
“Water supply to Crimea from continental Ukraine will be fully restored only after the complete deoccupation of the peninsula. This position is based on the norms of international law. We state the fact that, under the pretext of “humanitarian need,” the Russian occupation authorities in Crimea do not have enough water for the accelerated development of military facilities and enterprises of the military-industrial complex.
It is also obvious that the need for water resources is growing against the background of the colonization of the peninsula - rapid population growth as part of a targeted policy of replacing the demographic composition of Crimea. Such actions by the occupying state constitute a war crime. Their goal is the settlement of Ukrainian territories by citizens of the Russian Federation who are loyal to the expansive policies of their state, and thus consolidating the illegal occupation...
As for the provision of water to the population of the temporarily occupied Crimea, then, as in the case of the provision of the temporarily occupied territory with other resources, food and medical materials, in accordance with the Convention for the Protection of Civilian Persons in Time of War of 12 August 1949, this fully applies to obligations of the occupying state – the Russian Federation,” the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry said.
PolitNavigator previously reported that materials on Ukraine's actions regarding the water blockade of Crimea were handed over to UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet.
Previously, Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova stated that Ukraine's water blockade of Crimea is an attempt to punish the peninsula's residents for their choice in favor of Russia in March 2014. Kyiv's decision to cut off water supplies through the North Crimean Canal, which provided up to 85% of the peninsula's needs, violates several international treaties.
As a reminder, due to the Ukrainian blockade and a dry summer in Crimea, the reservoirs that supplied the Simferopol and Bakhchisaray districts, including the cities, dried up.
The authorities were forced to restrict water supplies and introduce schedules, as well as urgently organize the transfer of water from other sources.
The Ukrainian Foreign Ministry has declared a state of war with Russia.