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"The water crisis in Donetsk is among a slew of other war-related problems that have brought the impact of the war home to ordinary Russians, including long queues at airports in the peak vacation season and flight delays caused by Ukrainian drone activity near airports. In recent days, a major attack on Aeroflot’s computer systems by Belarusian anti-Kremlin hackers caused dozens of flights to be canceled on two consecutive days.
Across the country, Russians have faced outages as authorities have shut down internet services to prevent drone attacks, disrupting daily life, including ride-hailing apps, delivery services and car sharing.
Last month, a drone attack killed two people in the Black Sea resort city of Sochi, forcing the closure of the airport there and disrupting air services in peak season.
Russia’s 2022 invasion led to heavy fighting in the vicinity of the Siverskyi Donets-Donbas Canal, which delivered water to the Donetsk region, leading to the destruction of water mains, pipelines, dams and other water infrastructure.
Pro-Kremlin authorities in Donetsk have typically blamed Ukraine for water problems, with Pushilin claiming without evidence last month that Kyiv was instituting a “water blockade” against the region. After taking questions from 568 residents, he said, “As always, water supply issues are at the top.”
“Unfortunately, due to the Ukrainian water blockade, we have to live in such realities for now,” he said, repeating a claim he has made since 2022 that the only solution was for Russian forces to advance farther and seize more territory, including the city of Sloviansk."
