Parched Lands: The Causes and Consequences of Clean Water Shortages in Russian-Occupied Ukraine

The war in Ukraine has devastated infrastructure, displaced millions, and redrawn front lines. One of the less visible but acutely felt consequences of Russia’s occupation of parts of Ukraine is a growing shortage of clean water. In regions such as southern Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia and occupied areas of Kherson, access to safe, potable water has become increasingly scarce. This crisis is the result of deliberate military strategy, infrastructural neglect, and the broader collapse of civil governance under occupation. The consequences are dire, ranging from public health emergencies to longer-term economic stagnation and demographic decline.

Strategic Sabotage and Infrastructure Destruction

One of the primary causes of the water crisis in occupied Ukraine is the deliberate targeting and neglect of water infrastructure. Early in the war, both Russian and Ukrainian forces targeted reservoirs, pumping stations, and filtration plants, either to deprive the enemy of resources or as collateral damage during offensives. The destruction of the Kakhovka Dam in June 2023 was a pivotal moment in this unfolding disaster. The dam had not only regulated the Dnipro River’s flow, but also provided drinking water and irrigation to large swathes of southern Ukraine, including Crimea.

Following the dam’s destruction—attributed by many to deliberate Russian sabotage—the North Crimean Canal dried up, cutting off a vital water source for occupied Crimea and parts of Kherson and Zaporizhzhia. The collapse of this major infrastructure project had a cascading effect, disrupting not only drinking water supplies but also the ability of farmers to irrigate fields, particularly in arid regions dependent on controlled water delivery.

Further east, in occupied parts of Donetsk and Luhansk, many of the centralised Soviet-era water systems were already decaying prior to 2022. War accelerated their decline. In some towns, water is only available a few hours a week, if at all, forcing residents to rely on unsafe local wells or to queue for trucked-in supplies.

Administrative Collapse and Occupation-Induced Apathy

Another contributing factor to the clean water crisis is the failure of occupation administrations to provide effective civil services. Under the de facto governance of Russia and its proxy authorities, many Ukrainian-trained water engineers and technicians have fled, been dismissed, or refused to collaborate. Spare parts for pumps and filtration systems are hard to come by due to sanctions and logistical disruptions. Corruption and poor oversight in the Russian-installed administrations have further impeded any coherent response to water shortages.

There is also a strategic calculus at play. Russia’s broader occupation policy in Ukraine appears to be aimed not at winning hearts and minds, but at suppressing dissent and making resistance more difficult. Neglecting critical infrastructure serves this purpose. Communities weakened by disease, thirst or depopulation are less likely to mount organised resistance or function as cohesive civil entities. In essence, water scarcity has been weaponised, whether by design or indifference.

Consequences for Public Health

The humanitarian consequences of the water crisis are severe. Without reliable access to clean water, residents in occupied areas are at increased risk of waterborne diseases, including cholera, hepatitis A and dysentery. Hospitals and clinics, already strained by war and occupation, struggle to maintain sanitary conditions. In some rural districts of occupied Donetsk and Luhansk, outbreaks of gastrointestinal illness have been reported, likely linked to contaminated groundwater and inadequate sewage treatment.

Children and the elderly are particularly vulnerable. Malnutrition—exacerbated by poor crop yields due to the collapse of irrigation—is compounded by dehydration and exposure to unsafe drinking water. The lack of water also undermines hygiene and sanitation, leading to higher transmission of infectious diseases even beyond those directly linked to water.

Economic and Agricultural Collapse

Agriculture in occupied Ukraine has long depended on irrigation systems tied to Soviet-era reservoirs, particularly in the steppe regions of Kherson and Zaporizhzhia. With the destruction of the Kakhovka Dam and the disrepair of associated canals, large tracts of farmland have become arid and unusable. Yields of staple crops such as wheat, maize and sunflower have plummeted in affected areas. Farmers are abandoning their fields or switching to low-water crops with limited market value.

Industrial activity has also been hampered. Clean water is essential not just for domestic consumption but also for mining operations, chemical plants and steel production—sectors that were once dominant in Donbas. The water shortage has exacerbated the already steep economic decline in these areas under occupation.

Demographic and Political Consequences

Over time the lack of basic services, including water, is accelerating the depopulation of occupied territories. Many Ukrainians who remained behind during the initial invasion are now quietly leaving, often relocating to Russia or attempting to cross into Ukrainian-held territory. This demographic hollowing out, while partly a result of military conscription and displacement, is also being driven by the unliveable conditions created by the water crisis.

Politically, the water shortage undermines Russia’s narrative that it is acting as a liberator or protector of these regions. The inability—or unwillingness—of occupation authorities to resolve such a basic issue reveals the hollowness of Russia’s state-building efforts in Ukraine. In some areas, pro-Russian sentiment that existed prior to 2022 has turned to resentment and disillusionment.

A Post-Liberation Challenge

Should Ukraine succeed in liberating these territories, the restoration of water services will be one of the most urgent and expensive tasks. Pipelines, filtration systems and pumping stations must be rebuilt from scratch in many areas. International donors may fund such reconstruction, but Ukrainian planners must also consider long-term resilience in the face of further military threats.

Moreover the water crisis has broader implications for post-war reconstruction and reconciliation. Any lasting reintegration of these territories will require not only security guarantees but also the rapid provision of basic services—of which clean water is the most fundamental. In this sense, the absence of water today foreshadows the immense complexity of tomorrow’s peace.

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The shortage of clean water in Russian-occupied Ukraine is both a symptom and a weapon of war. It reveals the brutality and negligence of occupation regimes, the fragility of critical infrastructure in times of conflict, and the suffering borne by civilians in contested zones. As the war drags on, water—once taken for granted—has become a silent battleground, as important to survival and sovereignty as guns and missiles.