Petro Andriushchenko, head of the Center for the Study of Occupation, said this on Espreso TV.“Water shortages in occupied territories may trigger broader problems with utilities. This may not happen everywhere, but for Donetsk it is a very likely scenario. Most likely, we will indeed see a collapse of municipal services in Donetsk this winter, particularly heating.There is also a third risk — possible shortages of power generation and fuel. Power plants in Donetsk region are shutting down, no longer able to produce needed output because they lack water to cool reactors at thermal stations. The situation is truly critical. The occupation authorities are now in a rush to reconnect the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant to restore generation capacity for Donetsk and Luhansk regions — and unfortunately, they are making progress,” Andriushchenko explained.According to the expert, Donetsk could be left without heating or electricity this winter.“If all these risks converge at once, it will mean Donetsk is left without water, fuel, and power. These are the risks the city is entering the winter with. It is hard to imagine the level of catastrophe it is heading toward,” he added.Why there is no water in occupied Donetsk regionThe Donbas has always been water-deficient, with millions of residents and heavy industries dependent on steady supply. Today, the main reasons for water shortages in the occupied parts of Donetsk region are:Siverskyi Donets–Donbas canal destroyed: It once provided 50% of water, but has been completely ruined by Russian shelling and sabotage during more than three years of full-scale war. (It was still functioning before February 24, 2022.)Reservoir depletion: The other 50% came from reserve reservoirs, but this summer their stocks were gradually exhausted.Worn-out infrastructure: Water pipelines, unrepaired since the 1990s, are breaking down further under irregular use. Neglect by Yanukovych’s pro-Russian Party of Regions, and later by Russian occupation authorities, has worsened the crisis.