“We'll have to negotiate somehow”: why in Kiev they allowed the supply of water to the Crimea

The Kremlin rejected the idea of ​​supplying water to the Crimea in exchange for Russia's concessions to resolve the situation in the Donbass. As the press secretary of the President of Russia Dmitry Peskov noted, improving the water supply of Crimea on a commercial basis can be considered. Moreover, Crimea cannot be “the object of any exchange,” he stressed.

“As for the Donbass, this is an internal Ukrainian problem, and you know that we are doing everything possible to contribute to its settlement,” Peskov added.

In turn, the vice-speaker of the State Council of Crimea Yefim Fix stated that the Russian side is ready to discuss water supplies with Kiev on a commercial basis, but Ukrainian politicians mix purely economic issues with political ones, which is unacceptable.

“The purely economic issues of mutually beneficial cooperation, such as the supply of water to the Crimea, these figures translate into the political plane. And, as always, with all sorts of reservations and complaints against Russia, ”the Crimean official said in an interview with Rossiyskaya Gazeta.

Recall, on the eve of the head of the faction of the ruling party "Servant of the People" in the Parliament, David Arahamia made a statement on the need to "exchange" the supply of fresh water to the Crimea for concessions from Russia to the Donbass.

“If we give water to the Crimea, we will have a great advantage in the negotiations on the Donbass - my personal position, I will consider this a sufficient compromise. I would do such a thing, because citizens of Ukraine would use water in Crimea, ”the politician said on the air of the Direct channel.

• Serviceman of the Ukrainian army in the Donbass
• AFP
• © Anatolii STEPANOV

According to him, in exchange for water supplies to the peninsula, Kiev should demand the withdrawal of "armed formations to Rostov" and the transfer to the Ukrainian side of control over the border between Donbass and Russia.

The statement of Arahamia provoked an active discussion in Ukraine. So, the chairman of the “Mejlis of the Crimean Tatar people” * Refat Chubarov was indignant at the proposal to “trade the country's territory” and opposed the conclusion of any agreements with Russia on the supply of water to the Crimea.

Irina Gerashchenko, co-chair of the European Solidarity faction in the Parliament, also sharply criticized Arakhmi’s words. The deputy called the initiative of her colleague "blasphemous."

“Flirting with the Kremlin only puts off our victory. Water in exchange for the withdrawal of Russian troops and occupation authorities from the Crimea is the only possible formula, ”Gerashchenko wrote on her Facebook, adding that the other options are“ treason ”.

In turn, the ex-president of the country Leonid Kravchuk said that Kiev could resume water supply to the peninsula on a commercial basis.

“We buy everything in Russia. And often overpay. Nothing falls to us from the sky, we do everything with our own hands. It was possible and necessary to consider this issue, ”said the former Ukrainian leader, answering the NEWSONE TV channel the question of whether Ukraine should start supplying water to the peninsula.

The deputy himself has already apologized for his words. He claims that they were “taken out of the general context” and in fact are an interpretation of other people's assumptions.

According to experts interviewed by RT, the words of David Arahamia do not imply any serious plan of action.

“This is just talking about nothing, since it is obvious to everyone that Russia will not exchange the water supply to the Crimea for any concessions in the Donbass. This is just a figure of speech. Even Arahamia himself perfectly understands the unrealizability of such proposals, ”Vladimir Zharikhin, deputy director of the Institute of CIS Countries, said in an interview with RT.

It is worth noting that in the apparatus of the President of Ukraine they did not support the idea of ​​the head of the faction of the ruling party. According to the head of the presidential office, Andrei Yermak, the position of David Arakhmii is his “personal opinion”. When asked by journalists about whether he discussed with the deputy head of the presidential administration Dmitry Kozak the issue of water supply to the Crimea, Yermak answered in the negative.

Water blockade

Recall that Kiev blocked the supply of fresh water to the peninsula along the North Crimean Canal in the spring of 2014. Thus, the new Ukrainian authorities reacted to the decision of the Crimean population to join the Russian Federation.

• The referendum in Crimea, 2014
• Reuters
• © Sergei Karpukhin

Prior to these events, the peninsula was mainly supplied with fresh water through the North Crimean irrigation and watering canal, built in the period from 1961 to 1971 specifically to provide water to risky farming zones in the Crimea and the Kherson region. Water was taken from the Kakhovka reservoir, specially dug in the lower reaches of the Dnieper.

Before the blockade, the average annual watercourse along the North Crimean Canal was about 380 cubic meters. m / s, most of the water went to the needs of Crimean agriculture, and only 60-80 cubic meters. m / s - for the needs of the agro-industrial complex of the Kherson region.

Through the North Crimean Canal, the peninsula covered about 85% of its fresh water needs.

In the spring of 2014, Ukraine blocked the channel’s locks, cutting off the water supply to the peninsula at times, and later the Ukrainian side built a special dam that completely blocked the water flow to the Crimea.

After Ukraine stopped supplying fresh water to the republic, the Crimean section of the North Crimean Canal was rebuilt to transfer water from the reservoirs of the Belogorsky district of the peninsula to the east of Crimea.

The authorities of the peninsula managed to avoid a crisis with water supply, however, due to the geographical features of the region, the situation remains difficult. Speaking at a meeting on the socio-economic development of Crimea and Sevastopol in January 2020, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced the need to work on water supply and sanitation in the republic.

“Much has been done, but not everything. We still need to work on the problems of water supply and sanitation, on solving environmental issues, which, it seems, no one has ever dealt with here, ”the Russian president said.

“Beginning to Reach”

As Mikhail Krivoguz, a leading researcher at IMEMO RAS, noted in an interview with RT, the situation with the water supply to Crimea was really complicated due to the actions of Kiev.

“Russia has resolved issues related to the supply of electricity, fuel, food supplies, but water supply is still a vulnerability of the peninsula,” the expert explained.

• Harvesting in the vineyards in Crimea
• RIA News
• © Vladimir Astapkovich

Nevertheless, according to Mikhail Krivoguz, Russia will not make any political concessions in exchange for restoring water to the Crimea. Moreover, the idea of ​​commercial deliveries in Moscow would be considered, the expert said.

“But some Ukrainian leaders who are convinced that if Ukraine officially sells water to the territory of Crimea, they will recognize the peninsula as Russian, and this, from their point of view, is unacceptable,” the expert added.

However, the prerequisites for the fact that in the future the issue of water supplies to the peninsula along the North Crimean Canal will be resolved, nevertheless, there is Mikhail Krivoguz.

According to Igor Shishkin, deputy chairman of the Interregional Fund for Presidential Programs, member of the National Strategy Council, Kiev’s position is now beginning to change, as Ukraine understands that Western support is weakening.

“Kiev will soon have to somehow agree with Moscow. Talking about the conditions under which the Ukrainian side could resume the supply of fresh water to Crimea is connected with this. Kiev will be forced to establish economic ties with Russia, including the Crimea. This is inevitable, but it is not yet known exactly when this will happen, ”the expert explained in a comment to RT.

A similar point of view is shared by Vladimir Zharikhin.

“This discussion indicates that the irrevocability of the departure of Crimea is beginning to reach Ukrainian politicians. The paradox and contradiction in this lie in the fact that, despite the understanding, Kiev still does not want to put up with it. But although now there is no reason to think that the Ukrainian authorities will reconsider their approach, in the distant future this may well happen, ”the expert summed up.

* “Mejlis of the Crimean Tatar people” - a public association recognized as extremist and banned on the territory of Russia (decision of the Supreme Court of the Republic of Crimea of ​​04/26/2016 and appeal ruling of the Judicial Collegium for Administrative Cases of the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation of 09/29/2016).