Donetsk region is experiencing a severe water shortage, exacerbated by extreme heat and the destruction of water infrastructure, leaving over 1.2 million residents in Donetsk and Makiivka, and half a million more in surrounding cities, without access to drinking or technical water. Water trucks are being dispatched from Russia's Rostov region to address the crisis, according to reports. The catastrophic water situation stems from the flooding of mines in the Donetsk coal basin, a consequence of Russian occupation. After occupying the region in 2014, Russian forces reportedly sold mine equipment for scrap and then allowed the mines to flood, disrupting underground water horizons and rendering all water sources unfit for use due to contamination with iron oxide. This widespread environmental disaster is contributing to the critical lack of potable water. Residents in Donetsk are facing dire conditions, with water supplied only once every three days and not reaching all households, necessitating reliance on water tankers and leading to long queues. The scarcity has resulted in unsanitary conditions, with people resorting to using plastic bags as toilets. Similar water supply issues are reported in other cities, including Mariupol, where water is supplied every two days. Separately, the Russian Federation's armed forces repelled an attempt by Ukrainian forces to land on the Tendrovskaya Spit in the Kherson region. The Ukrainian forces reportedly used four boats and Bayraktar drones for the landing attempt. The Armed Forces Commander Raimundas Vaikšnoras mentioned a possible drone incident in Lithuania on Tuesday morning. Overnight, Ukrainian attack drones targeted key Russian rail infrastructure in Salsk, Rostov region, with at least one drone striking a fuel train, causing a significant fire. Ukrainian forces also struck the "Dvoynaya" traction substation in Orlovsky, Rostov region, disabling a critical element of Russia's railway infrastructure. These strikes are part of a broader effort that has, over three days, disrupted a rail line linking military and industrial hubs of Volgograd and Rostov-on-Don, with preliminary analysis indicating the destruction of traction substations and fuel tanks. In Belarus, inscriptions in Ukrainian were found on the wreckage of a UAV that fell in Minsk. Meanwhile, two sappers died during the clearance of an enemy drone in the Salsky district of the Rostov region, as reported by the head of the Salsky district, Vladimir Berezovsky. Archival footage has also revealed the first use of FPV drones at sea by Ukraine’s HUR special forces during a raid off Crimea’s coast on September 11, 2024, where drones were launched from boats to strike Russian forces on a gas platform.
