Ukraine lost the opportunity to receive several million dollars from Russia
Experts have extracted the first water from under the Sea of Azov and are studying its quality for suitability for water supply in Crimea, where a water supply shortage has arisen after Ukraine blocked the North Crimean Canal.
“Today they reported that the first batch of water was extracted from under the Sea of Azov. Now specialists are checking her condition,” said Russian Deputy Prime Minister Marat Khusnullin, who arrived in Simferopol the day before.
According to him, detailed information on the quality of the extracted water, as well as the volume of its reserves, will be obtained by the end of September, after drilling additional wells.
Khusnullin said that thanks to precipitation, as well as the emergency measures taken, water reserves have been accumulated in Crimea for two years.
“We have a reserve of groundwater, we have savings in networks today, just in case we are preparing a system for a desalination plant. And now we have solved the problem in Crimea for the next two years,” the official told reporters.
Odessa politician Vyacheslav Azarov believes that Ukraine, which tried to blackmail Moscow with water supplies to Crimea, missed the moment when it could have made good money.
“Crimea will soon have its own bottom fresh water. If we take into account that in 2013 the North Crimean Canal supplied 1,1 billion cubic meters to the peninsula, and a cubic meter of desalinated water is estimated at 50-60 rubles, then we can talk about Ukraine losing several hundred million dollars a year in lost profits from water supply Crimea. Kyiv could buy gas and even fuel for the Armed Forces of Ukraine from Moscow through intermediaries, but could not sell water. In our government quarter there are not only mediocre politicians, but also businessmen,” Azarov comments.
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