Drinking water collection drives for residents of northern Crimea began being announced on VKontakte on Monday, July 13, according to the outlet Agentstvo. The first collection was opened by the volunteer movement 'We Are Together — Sevastopol,' and on July 14, the Crimean Tatar organization 'Achyq Yurekler' ('Open Hearts') joined. 'For many families, an ordinary glass of water has become a real treasure today,' the foundation explained. Private individuals and businesses, including a real estate agency, also organized collections.
Crimean karate coach Denis Tkachuk told Agentstvo that on July 14 he distributed drinking water in Dzhankoi. According to him, people took one ton of water (about 200 five-liter bottles) in 20 minutes. 'I arrived in a residential area, stopped near a supermarket, and opened the car. First I offered water to several passersby, and then word of mouth quickly worked,' Tkachuk described, adding that on his next trip he plans to distribute one and a half tons.
The shortage of drinking water in Crimea is linked to Ukrainian strikes on energy infrastructure that began in June. Power outages cause pumping stations to stop. The problem is most acute in the north of the peninsula. On July 12, several pro-Russian Telegram channels published an appeal from residents of northern Crimea, which said: 'For a week (seven days) we haven't had the lights on for even an hour. People are throwing away food, losing their jobs and their normal lives. In the districts there is no water at all, in the city it is partially turned on for four hours a day.' The appeal claimed that the authorities were not delivering water.
On Wednesday, July 15, after Ukrainian drone strikes, several districts of Crimea were completely without power. Krymenergo reported that settlements in the Northwestern and Eastern power districts were without electricity. Kerch is completely blacked out, confirmed Ivan Koshel, the head of the local administration appointed by Russia. According to the Telegram channel 'Crimean Wind,' the blackout affected five districts (Chornomorske, Rozdolne, Saky, Lenine, Kirovske) and three urban districts (Yevpatoria, Feodosia, Sudak), as well as Kerch and adjacent territories, including the entire Kerch Peninsula.
The state enterprise 'Voda Kryma' (Water of Crimea) reported a drop in water pressure in nine districts of the peninsula due to an 'accident' on Krymenergo's networks. The project Agentstvo calculated that since July 6, the longest power supply problems (at least eight out of ten days) were recorded in Dzhankoi, Krasnoperekopsk, and Armyansk. One day less — in Sevastopol. Every day during this period, electricity was absent in at least two Crimean cities.
According to Agentstvo, simultaneously with the blackout, water supply outages are observed in many Crimean cities. Since July 8, water problems have been recorded in Simferopol (six days), Alushta (seven days), Yevpatoria (five days), as well as in Kerch, Feodosia, Dzhankoi, Bakhchysarai, and other settlements.