MOSCOW, December 19. /TASS/. Under Ukrainian leadership, the Donbass water system completely collapsed, President Vladimir Putin said during the combined Direct Line Q&A session and year-end press conference headlined "Results of the Year."

"I have certainly discussed these issues with members of the government and with the leadership of the region. It turned out that solving the water shortage problem means bringing the entire pipeline system, which had not been paid attention to for decades, to basic working order - everything fell apart there, you know? Everything fell apart," the head of state said.

The president explained that now to bring this system to a standard state and reduce water losses to zero it is necessary to spend as much money as it costs to construct and build another water pipeline.

After the coup in Ukraine in February 2014, residents of Donetsk and Lugansk Regions, who refused to recognize the new government, began mass protests. In April 2014, the then Acting President of Ukraine Alexander Turchinov started a military operation in the south-east of the country. Against the background of escalating hostilities, on May 11, 2014, referendums on self-determination were held in the Donetsk and Lugansk Regions beyond Kiev's control, which resulted in the proclamation of the state sovereignty of the Donetsk and Lugansk People's Republics (DPR and LPR). In September 2022, residents of the DPR and LPR voted overwhelmingly for reunification with Russia in a referendum.