Investigative Committee of Russia initiated a criminal case over the water blockade of Crimea

The press service of the Investigative Committee of Russia announced the initiation of a criminal case over the blocking of the North Crimean canal. Before the annexation of Crimea to the Russian Federation, the canal provided 90% of the peninsula with water.

We should remind our readers that Ukraine blocked the North Crimean Canal after the return of Crimea to the Russian Federation in 2014. The representatives of the Investigative Committee noted that Ukraine violated the convention on the prohibition of the hostile use of environmental impacts. Because of these actions, damage was caused not only to the economic and social life of Crimea, but also to its ecological situation.

Cutting off the water supply has drained the land, affected wildlife and altered the ecosystems of the bays.

The case file says that due to the lack of water, the salinity of the Sivash Bay has increased 3 times. In addition, the quality of the water used for household and drinking purposes has deteriorated on the peninsula.

The criminal case was initiated under Article 358 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation- ‘Ecocide’. The accused are 12 persons who, according to the IC, were involved in the incident and called for a blockade. We should note that the water blockade of Crimea caused damage of 1.5 trillion rubles, but the calculations continue and the amount may grow several times.

At the moment, the peninsula receives water from local sources. The Russian government is dealing with this problem; by 2024, 48 billion rubles will be allocated to eliminate the water shortage.