Water shortages in Russian-occupied Donetsk have reached a critical point, with residents receiving tap water only once every three days, queuing for hours at mobile tanks, and relying on unsanitary sources such as basement wells and mine water.
Locals and pro-Russian bloggers are calling the situation a humanitarian disaster and demanding action from Moscow.
Supplies cut to once every three days
The crisis escalated in early July when Russian-installed authorities in Donetsk introduced a new water schedule, limiting tap access to just four hours – from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. – every third day, down from once every two days as it had been in recent years.
Though initially described as a temporary measure, it has become the latest blow in a years-long collapse of water infrastructure in the region.
On July 22, two popular pro-military Telegram channels – “Voenkor Kotenok” and “Sinyaya Z Boroda” – with a combined following of nearly half a million users – published an open letter to Russian leader Vladimir Putin.
The letter, signed by residents of the occupied Donetsk region, accuses local authorities of failing to address a water crisis that has grown into “a humanitarian and environmental catastrophe.”
Residents report that the water that does arrive is often undrinkable – yellow, cloudy, and foul-smelling. In high-rise buildings, water rarely reaches upper floors.
Locals carry water in buckets from basements or collect rainwater to wash and flush toilets. Bottled water is sold at inflated prices – up to 5 rubles per liter (50 cents), which is twice the cost in Mariupol or Rostov-on-Don.
In a separate video published five days later by a local volunteer group, children from the self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR) appealed directly to Putin.
“I believe you are wise and strong, Uncle President! Please give us the simplest miracle — water in our homes,” one child says.
“Water is such a simple thing, but for us – it’s a luxury. We, children, should be running and laughing, not waiting for water deliveries. Uncle Vova, help us,” adds another child.
The organization behind the video, “Life’s Guardian” (Оберег жизни), says it has sent an official letter to the Kremlin along with the video message.
Telegram blogger Yuri Kotenok, known for supporting the Russian military campaign in Ukraine, wrote that the situation in Donetsk has become “worse than before the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion.”
A long-term collapse of infrastructure
Water problems in southern and eastern Ukraine, especially in areas now controlled by Russia, started back in 2014.
That year, Russia took control of Crimea. In response, Ukraine blocked the North Crimean Canal, which had supplied most of the peninsula’s water. Russia reopened the canal after its full-scale invasion in 2022, but it stopped working again in 2023 after the Kakhovka Dam was destroyed.
Other areas in Russian-occupied Ukraine also struggle. People in the Luhansk region began facing water shortages in 2014. In Donetsk, the crisis began in 2022.
Before the full-scale war, Ukraine did not completely cut off water to Donetsk. According to Meduza, citing pro-Russian news sites, Kyiv kept the water flowing to avoid hurting cities like Mariupol and Volnovakha, which were still under Ukrainian control at the time.
But when the full-scale war began, Ukraine kept control of a key canal – the Seversky Donets–Donbas Canal – which brings water to Donetsk. As the fighting went on, the canal was severely damaged and dried up. By late 2022, Donetsk was only getting about 20% of its usual water supply.
The Don–Donbas Project falls short
The Russian-appointed administration in Donetsk pledged to quickly build a replacement pipeline, the so-called “Don–Donbas” canal – a 200-kilometer (124-mile) project that would deliver water from the Don River in Russia’s Rostov region.
The project was overseen by Russian Deputy Defense Minister Timur Ivanov, who was later arrested for bribery and is now facing additional corruption charges. Although officials declared the pipeline operational in 2024, it only covers a fraction – at most 45% – of the region’s water needs, according to DPR authorities and utility data.
Because the canal isn’t providing enough water, nearby reservoirs are drying up. The Volyntseve and Khanzhonkiv reservoirs, which used to hold extra water, have lost a lot of water due to heat, evaporation, and less water coming in.
“Donetsk used to be the city of roses. Now, it’s a ten-year tragedy.”
Donetsk residents share photos on Telegram channels, showing apartment buildings with plastic jugs lined up outside entrances, long queues stretching for blocks, and people waiting for the water tankers.
Some residents arrive to wait hours before water distribution begins. The water is often rusty and smells like a swamp.
Residents say promised water deliveries frequently don’t arrive. In Yenakiieve, water is available once every four days. In some villages, residents say they have access only once every six days – if at all.
“I live in the center of town. In the past eight days, we had water for four hours, and it was orange. Totally unusable,” said Olga, a resident of Yenakiieve, speaking to the outlet Tochka. “Even to flush the toilet, people have to buy water at 4 rubles a liter.”
With no government help in sight, residents of upper floors are installing makeshift pipe connections in their basements.
“We carry water up from the basement ourselves – we rigged a hose into the main line,” said Yevhen, a resident of Donetsk, speaking to the same outlet. “We live in a nine-story building. By the sixth floor, not even a drop comes through anymore. And the water smells terrible.”
In a video, published by the Mash Donbas Telegram channel, an elderly woman can be seen collecting water from a puddle.
In the comment section under another publication on this channel, a local woman complained: “God, how long will they keep tormenting people like this?! We have no strength left. Where is the water pipeline from Rostov that they spent millions on? Is it really impossible to solve the water supply problem after all this time?! The heat is unbearable – people can’t even take a proper shower or flush the toilet.”
Similar stories are repeated from neighborhood to neighborhood, with hundreds of sympathetic comments under each post.
Former Ukrainian MP and pro-Russian separatist figure Oleg Tsaryov said in a Telegram post that people in Donetsk have resorted to placing plastic bags in toilets to avoid flushing.
“Donetsk used to be the city of roses,” he wrote. “Now, it’s a ten-year tragedy.”
DPR head Denis Pushilin said he will lower prices for bulk drinking water but repeated earlier claims that the problem cannot be solved until Russian forces “capture Sloviansk” – a Ukrainian-held city that houses much of the original canal’s infrastructure.