In Kyiv they are arguing whether it is necessary to cut off water supplies to Crimea
Kyiv, March 10 (Navigator, Mikhail Ryabov) – Northern Crimea is critically dependent on mainland Ukraine for water supplies, and this could be the decisive factor in choosing between the Ukrainian and Russian status of the peninsula.
Mikhail Gonchar, an expert at the Nomos center, stated this at a round table in Kyiv.
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“The supply of Dnieper water is a critical factor. And there is an understanding of this. The central government, the government, must clearly articulate this. This message will be heard, regardless of whether Ukrainian TV channels are working or not,” he said.
Gonchar added that in the 1990s, it was the water shortage in the steppe Crimea that became one of the reasons for the victory “over baggage.”
Former Deputy Foreign Minister of Ukraine Valery Chaly, on the contrary, called for no suspension of energy supplies to Crimea.
“I don’t think it’s necessary to consider the issue of closure now. Our people live there,” the diplomat said.
“The energy systems of Crimea are designed in such a way that Crimea does not have the opportunity to receive electricity, water, or gas from Russia. Natural gas produced on the Black Sea shelf is sufficient for the needs of the population, but not for industry. It receives gas from the mainland. But Crimea can only provide itself with electricity within 15%... Crimea will not survive without Dnieper water,” said Sergei Kunitsyn, the presidential representative in the Autonomous Republic of Crimea.
“Russia, of course, can give money. Those who are involved in the referendum today must clearly understand that Ukraine would receive all the political and legal opportunities to sell gas, electricity and water at world prices,” added Kunitsyn.
English version :: Read in English In Kyiv they are arguing whether it is necessary to cut off water supplies to Crimea