Water Blockade
Ukraine, Crimea, and Russia
Deutsche Fassung
Abstract
The North Crimean Canal ran from the Dnieper River to the northern border of the Crimea and from there to Kerch. It enabled large-scale irrigation of the peninsula’s dry areas and supplied water to the population and to industry. In response to Russia’s annexation of Crimea, Ukraine cut off the water supply in April 2014. As a result, the canal system that once irrigated rice and grain fields, vegetable and fruit plantations soon dried up. The capacity to provide water for the population and industrial enterprises deteriorated considerably. The water blockade has yet to move Russia to give up the Crimea. But this sanction should be put to the test if Russia offers something in return, for example, with respect to the status of the occupied Donbass.
(Osteuropa 7/2021, pp. 117–131)