Such information is systematically disseminated by the Russian media. They reported problems with water supply in the temporarily occupied Makiivka, Donetsk region: there, local residents stand in long queues near water distribution points, and only 6 liters are given per person. The Russians say the water supply will not be restored because the Siverskyi Donets-Donbas canal, the only water artery, remains under Ukrainian control. This is manipulation.

Part of the Siverskyi Donets-Donbas canal really remains under the control of Ukraine, but the inhabitants of the occupied cities do not have normal access to drinking water not because of it. According to VoxCheck, the water infrastructure of Donbas was outdated until 2014, and after that it was further damaged due to the actions of the Russian army. On February 19, 2022, the Russians fired on the pumping station of the South Donbas water pipeline, in April they repeatedly fired on the Siverskyi Donets-Donbas canal. That is why the cities of the temporarily occupied Donbas and Luhansk region were left without water supply. Active hostilities and the occupation of a part of Donbas do not allow repairing the canal and other facilities.

There is a shortage of water not only in the occupied, but also in the territories controlled by Ukraine. Since 2014, the operation of the Siverskyi Donets-Donbas canal has been stopped several times in separate sections after Russian shelling. Today, water is periodically turned off in Sloviansk, Kramatorsk and other cities due to the need for repairs.