Ukrainian officials warn of water shortages in country’s east

KIEV

Ukrainian officials have warned of possible water supply problems in the eastern Donetsk region, after heavy Russian aerial strikes.

Moscow has targeted Ukraine's utility system throughout the two-and-a-half year war, with concerns rising that the country could face its toughest winter yet.

Donetsk region Governor Vadym Filashkin said  that 260,000 people could be affected by water shortages.

"The north of the Donetsk region will be left without water supply for an indefinite period," he said on Telegram.

Russian strikes last month "critically damaged" two water supply facilities, leaving "no possibility to restore the equipment," he said.

The Donetsk regional administration told AFP on Oct. 4 there were problems with water pressure across the system.

"There is a problem with water supply to upper floors [of buildings]" it said, without saying how many people were affected.

Meanwhile, A Ukrainian car bomb attack killed an official of the Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant on Oct. 4, officials from both countries said.

Kiev has attacked several high-profile people branded "collaborators" and "traitors" for working with Russian forces since Moscow invaded in February 2022.

Ukraine's GUR military intelligence directorate said a car bomb blast on Oct. 4 morning had killed Andriy Korotky, whom it identified as the "head of physical security" at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant.

It called him a "war criminal" who "voluntarily cooperated with the Russian invaders," had provided details on "pro-Ukrainian" plant employees and "participated in the repression" of the plant's staff.

Russia's Investigative Committee, which probes major crimes, said an improvised explosive device was placed under his car at home, which then detonated when he started driving.

Russian forces seized the plant, Europe's largest nuclear facility, in the first weeks of their 2022 invasion.

Both sides have accused each other of risking a potentially devastating nuclear disaster at the site.

Japan's new Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba warned in his first policy speech on Oct. 4 that "today's Ukraine could be tomorrow's East Asia.”

“Why did deterrence not work in Ukraine?" the 67-year-old former Defence Minister, who took office this week said that, told parliament.

"Combined with the situation in the Middle East, the international community is becoming increasingly divided and confrontational."