The head of Crimea Sergey Aksyonov in a conversation with "Parlamentskaya Gazeta" assessed the situation with the water shortage on the peninsula and gave advice to the Ukrainian authorities "to finally get busy improving things in their country."
He said that official Kiev is "rejoicing" in water problems in Crimea in vain.
"I repeat, we will cope with the water blockade just as we coped with the transport, food, energy and diplomatic blockade," the politician said.
According to Aksenov, scientists have discovered sufficient underground reserves of fresh water on the peninsula and at the same time, they are working on overcoming the problem of water supply. About 50 billion rubles have already been allocated from the federal budget to solve it.
The head of Crimea also expressed the opinion that in six and a half years after reunification with Russia, more has been done in Crimea than in almost 30 years of independence in all of Ukraine.
"When politicians in Kiev talk about the 'annexation of Crimea,' I feel most sorry for ordinary Ukrainians. Behind meaningless demagoguery, Kiev politicians have forgotten about their citizens. Let's be honest - Ukraine in its post-Soviet borders no longer exists. The state is in a state of disintegration. The industry has been destroyed. A demographic catastrophe. I would advise Ukrainian politicians to finally improve things in their country and leave our Crimea alone," Aksenov said.
Previously, Ukraine provided up to 85 percent of the peninsula's needs in freshwater through the North Crimean Canal, which runs from the Dnieper River. However, after Crimea's reunification with Russia, the water supply to the region through the canal was completely stopped unilaterally. The issue of water supply was resolved at the expense of water reservoirs of a natural filling, which in the last year have become very shallow due to insufficient precipitation and extraction of water from underground sources. Due to the shortage, a number of districts of the peninsula introduced a regime of water supply to homes.
GSV "Russia - Islamic World"
Photo: official website of the President of the Russian Federation
Based on materials from RIA Novosti