Russia may seize the waterworks of the North Crimean Canal - Kryvonos
Russia may seize the waterworks of the North Crimean Canal in the Kherson region. However, this will not solve the problem of water scarcity in occupied Crimea. Also, it takes a long time to restore the canal and fill it with water.
This was stated by Deputy Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council (NSDC), Major General of the Armed Forces Serhiy Kryvonos on TV channel "Dim" on September 24.
According to him, Russia can capture part of the North Crimean Canal from Kakhovka to Kalanchak. However, the main problem for them, he believes, is that all these years of occupation, the so-called Crimean "government" did not deal with the technical condition of the canal.
"The issue is that the water is flowing to Crimea, and the Russians need to carry out a large amount of work to restore the capacity of the North Crimean canal for its efficiency. Currently, they do not work on the canal <...> Therefore, even if they capture, then the water will not go so fast. It takes more than a week to fill the canal if everything is working and everything is being repaired”, - said the Deputy Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council.
Kryvonos stated that this information comes not only from Ukraine's intelligence but also from Crimeans who come from the occupied peninsula and inform the National Security Council about what is happening.
He noted that the seizure of the canal would be open aggression from the Russian Federation.
This is again an influence on the country's leadership and such small blackmail about "we can capture…". Technically, we understand that Russia can do it. But the question is how Russia can justify itself in the eyes of the world community because it will be already open aggression", - Kryvonos said.
What is known
- According to Serhiy Kyslytsya, Ukraine's permanent representative to the UN, Russia should recognize itself as an occupying country and formally apply, by humanitarian law, to start talks on the water supply to occupied Crimea.
- Until 2014, Ukraine supplied Crimea with water through the North Crimean Canal. After Russia's occupation of the peninsula, Ukraine cut off water supplies. During the 6 years of occupation, in the summer of 2020, the occupying authorities of Crimea acknowledged that there was a shortage of water on the peninsula and called on the Crimean people to save resources.
