The head of Crimea, Sergei Aksyonov, on Thursday, February 24, instructed to prepare the North Crimean Canal, blocked by Ukraine in 2014, to receive water.
“Looks like we won’t need desalination plants. I gave the command to the chairman of the State Committee for Water Management and Land Reclamation of the Republic of Crimea, Igor Vail, to prepare the North Crimean Canal to receive water, ”he wrote in his Telegram channel.
A few minutes earlier, Aksyonov wrote that the authorities of the peninsula had decided to introduce a high alert regime on the territory of the republic. According to him, evacuation from settlements bordering Ukraine is not carried out. However, measures have been taken to help local residents who want to leave these settlements for the center of Crimea, he stressed.
Also, the head of the Crimea reported on Thursday about the sounds of explosions in the territory of the republic bordering Ukraine. He stressed that the situation is fully controlled by the authorities, nothing threatens the population of the peninsula.
In turn, Oleg Kryuchkov, adviser to the head of the region, said that the border checkpoints in Crimea on the border with Ukraine were closed until further notice.
On the night of February 24, Russian President Vladimir Putin made a special televised address in which he stated that a special military operation would be carried out in the Donbass in order to protect the civilian population. Permanent Representative of the Russian Federation to the UN Vasily Nebenzya also stressed that this cannot be called a war. He stressed that the Russian authorities are still open for dialogue, but they do not intend to allow a new bloody massacre in the Donbass.
Meanwhile, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has decided to declare martial law.
On February 21, Putin signed decrees recognizing the independence of the LNR and the DNR. Also, the Russian leader and the heads of both republics Leonid Pasechnik and Denis Pushilin signed agreements on friendship, cooperation and mutual assistance. The documents were ratified the next day by both the republics themselves and the Russian State Duma.
Since 2014, the Ukrainian authorities have been carrying out a military operation against the inhabitants of Donbass, who refused to recognize the results of the coup d’état and the new government in Ukraine. At the same time, Kiev blames Moscow for the current situation. Russia has repeatedly stated that it is not a party to the intra-Ukrainian conflict.
The situation on the line of contact in Donbass escalated on February 17. In the Donetsk and Lugansk People’s Republics, heavy shelling by Ukrainian security forces was reported, including from heavy weapons. The republics announced a general mobilization and evacuation of civilians to the territory of Russia.
In 2014, Ukraine cut off the water supply to Crimea through the North Crimean Canal, which provided up to 90% of the peninsula’s needs. Russia partially solved the problem of water supply by searching for new sources and drilling wells.
Crimea returned to Russia following a 2014 referendum. 96.77% of the inhabitants of the region and 95.6% of the voters of Sevastopol voted for joining. The procedure was carried out in accordance with international law. Meanwhile, Kiev considers the peninsula its temporarily occupied territory. Moscow has repeatedly stated that the issue of ownership of the subject is closed forever.
Source: IZ
Jane Stock is a technology author, who has written for 24 Hours World. She writes about the latest in technology news and trends, and is always on the lookout for new and innovative ways to improve his audience’s experience.
