In keeping with the tradition of petitioning the tsar, children from Donetsk – a region in eastern Ukraine partially occupied by the Russian army – sent a video appeal to Vladimir Putin, asking him to address the severe water shortage that is affecting their lives.
“Uncle Putin, help us! Give us access to water! Without water, we will not survive, (…) parasites will invade us. You, who are the most powerful leader in the world, save us!” said a little girl with long blond hair, wearing a “Lucky” T-shirt. “Dear President, how am I supposed to wash myself if there is no water? Do something…” said another.
The video, posted on social media on July 28, spoke volumes about the state of decay in the Ukrainian regions “liberated” by the Russian army. There, a water shortage is threatening to turn into a humanitarian disaster. On August 4, the Russian opposition website Vajnye Istorii had this to say about the situation: “Forced to defecate in bags, unable to wash, and collecting rainwater, residents are appealing to Putin.”
In many households in this war-torn region, water currently flows only every three days for a few hours. When it finally runs from the tap, the water is often blackish, foul-smelling, and unfit for consumption, as shown in videos posted by residents. The water pressure in the pipes was so low that the upper floors of apartment buildings were not supplied. In villages, outages can last more than a month.
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