Occupiers Concealed Water Crisis in Donetsk Region While Promoting New Year Celebrations, Says Disinformation Center

Water Crisis Worsens in Occupied Donetsk as Media Coverage Shifts

Residents in the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine’s Donetsk region are facing an increasingly dire water crisis, even as local media outlets controlled by occupation authorities have pivoted away from covering the emergency. According to a recent report from the Center for Countering Disinformation (CPD) of Ukraine’s National Security and Defense Council, Russian-backed media has largely abandoned reporting on the water shortage, focusing instead on New Year’s holiday celebrations.

The situation on the ground tells a starkly different story. Desperate residents have taken to social media platforms to document their struggles, highlighting the complete absence of systematic solutions from occupation authorities. Citizens describe standing in massive queues for minimal amounts of water, with some resorting to melting snow to meet basic needs.

“The occupation authorities have created what amounts to a caste system for water access,” a CPD spokesperson explained. “The resource exists, but only for those who can pay for it. This ‘market’ operates with the tacit consent of the occupation administration.”

As the crisis deepens, a troubling “water business” has emerged in the region. Wealthier residents have begun installing large 1,000-liter plastic tanks inside their apartments – a solution that presents both financial and safety challenges. These makeshift water storage systems have become status symbols in a region where access to this essential resource increasingly depends on economic means.

Perhaps most cynically, local authorities continue billing residents for water service despite taps running completely dry. This has further strained household finances in an already economically devastated region, forcing families to pay for services they don’t receive while also purchasing water through alternative channels.

“Russia has brought the region to a state of chaos and ‘hunger games’ for water, where survival depends on the thickness of one’s wallet,” the CPD report states.

The water crisis reflects broader infrastructure challenges in occupied territories, where pre-war systems have deteriorated under Russian control. Water supply issues have plagued the region since the beginning of the conflict, but the situation has deteriorated significantly in recent months as critical infrastructure continues to suffer from neglect and damage.

Humanitarian experts warn that limited access to clean water poses serious public health risks, particularly during winter when hygiene-related illnesses can spread rapidly. Without reliable water supplies, hospitals and care facilities face additional challenges in providing essential services to vulnerable populations.

The water emergency comes amid signs of economic strain within Russia itself. According to the Ministry of Economic Development of the Russian Federation, Russia’s GDP grew by only 0.1% year-on-year in November 2023—the worst economic indicator since early 2023. Meanwhile, Russia’s oil and gas revenues have reportedly declined significantly during its continued aggression against Ukraine.

For residents of occupied Donetsk, the water crisis exemplifies the broader humanitarian toll of the conflict. As basic services continue to deteriorate, the contrast between official messaging and lived reality grows starker. While occupation media focuses on holiday celebrations, ordinary citizens face an increasingly desperate struggle for one of life’s most basic necessities.

International humanitarian organizations have repeatedly called for unhindered access to all Ukrainian territories to address such crises, but access remains severely limited in Russian-occupied areas. Without systematic intervention, water insecurity is likely to worsen in the months ahead, particularly if infrastructure continues to deteriorate under occupation conditions.