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Power and Water Crisis Hits Occupied Mariupol and Berdiansk, Raising Health Concerns
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Utility disruptions are worsening in Russian-occupied parts of Ukraine, with recurring electricity and water outages creating sanitary risks in Berdiansk and affecting communications and access to social services in Mariupol.
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According to Petro Andriushchenko, head of the Center for the Study of Occupation on August 28, in temporarily occupied Berdiansk, frequent power outages and disruptions to water supplies have prompted warnings about the risk of acute intestinal infections.
The local branch of Russia’s consumer protection agency, Rospotrebnadzor, urged residents to take preventive measures.
Similar infrastructure problems are affecting daily life in Russian-occupied Mariupol, where unstable electricity supplies continue to disrupt communications.
Medical facilities have reported that residents are not always able to reach them by phone. As a result, patients have been advised to visit hospital registration desks in person when they are unable to make contact remotely.
At the same time, persistent problems with the city’s water supply have contributed to the emergence of a separate market for drinking water.
According to Andriushchenko, the Russian occupation administration is monitoring prices for drinking water. Five- to six-liter bottles are being sold for between 80 and 260 rubles (almost $1 and $3), while water sold by volume costs up to four rubles (less then $1) per liter.
The worsening conditions come as residents of Russian-occupied Berdiansk also face continued pressure from occupation authorities. A Russian-controlled court in the city recently sentenced a 74-year-old woman to 14 years in prison after she donated UAH 1,500 (about $34) to the Ukrainian Armed Forces.
According to Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty on August 26, the woman, born in 1952, was found guilty of high treason. Investigators alleged that she transferred the money to the Ukrainian military through a Ukrainian banking app in 2024.
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