Thousands of Moldovans lose water after Russian strike on Ukrainian hydropower plant

Tens of thousands of Moldovans have been left without water after a Russian strike on a hydroelectric plant in neighboring Ukraine resulted in oil polluting a major river that flows through both countries. Moldovan President Maia Sandu has blamed Russia for the pollution on the Dniester River following a March 7 attack on Ukraine’s Novodnistrovsk hydropower plant, which supplies water to about 80% of Moldova’s population of about 2.5 million. The pollution has forced the authorities to cut the water supply to several districts, including Moldova’s second-largest city of Balti.