European Council condemns Russia over strikes that caused Dnister River pollution

EU leaders have condemned Russian strikes on Ukrainian infrastructure that resulted in pollution of the Dnister River.

Source: Conclusions adopted after a European Council meeting on 19 March, as reported by European Pravda

Details: The document states that the European Council strongly condemns Russia's attacks on Ukrainian civilian infrastructure, which have led to pollution of the Dnister River – the main source of fresh water for Moldova.

EU leaders said the European Union is willing to assist Moldova in dealing with the environmental aftermath, including through the EU Civil Protection Mechanism.

"In this context, the European Council welcomes the immediate support provided by Member States," the conclusions say.

Background:

• On 15 March, the Moldovan government declared an environmental alert in the Dnister River basin for 15 days due to dangerous levels of water pollution.
• Moldovan President Maia Sandu said the pollution was caused by a Russian strike on a hydroelectric power plant in the Ukrainian city of Novodnistrovsk on 7 March, blaming Russia for the incident.
• The Russian ambassador was summoned to Moldova's Foreign Ministry and handed a bottle of polluted water from the river.
• On 19 March, the centralised water supply began to be gradually restored in several cities in Moldova's north, including the country's third-largest city, Bălți, after being disrupted for several days due to the river's contamination.

Support Ukrainska Pravda on Patreon!