The lack of clean water is a challenge in Ukraine, especially in areas close to the front. Caritas Ukraine has several water towers and filtration plants in operation in response to this challenge, with support from Norway. The plants are mobile, so they can be moved if the Russians move dangerously close. 

The fact that the filtration plants are mobile protects them from Russian ground forces, but not from the Russian air strikes that have increased in intensity this summer. In early summer, one of our filtration plants in Ivanivka was hit. The attack did not hit the plant itself, but very close by. The explosion was powerful enough to put the plant out of operation. 

Repairs were initiated, with support from Caritas Norway. The filtration plant has been moved to another location for safety reasons, but is still in operation and producing clean water.

Coincidentally, water filtration plants are being hit?

It is unclear whether the filtration plant was the target of this particular attack or if it was hit by chance. However, there is no doubt that the Russians have long had the goal of destroying critical Ukrainian infrastructure. By knocking out electricity and water supplies, they hope to exhaust the Ukrainian population.

The attack on the Caritas filtration plant may be part of this strategy. Around the same time, for example, a public water plant in Kramatorsk was knocked out by a Russian attack. The last attack was in July, but the plant has been attacked three times in the past six months.

The situation near the front on the Ukrainian side is difficult. In the occupied areas it is even worse, as several international media outlets have recently reported. This applies to both electricity and water supplies. Russian authorities claim that the areas that are currently without their own water supply should receive water from tankers at least every three days. According to the Washington Post, one occupied village, Osypenko, was without water supply for an entire month.