Moldova declared a 15-day environmental alert in the Dniester river basin after a Russian attack on March 7 on the Novodnistrovsk hydroelectric power plant in western Ukraine caused a leak of industrial oils directly into the river. The plant, located in Chernivtsi Oblast, sits just 15 kilometers from the Moldovan border. The Dniester supplies drinking water to approximately 80 percent of Moldova's population — more than 2.5 million people, including the capital Chisinau. Ukrainska Pravda ↗ Bloomberg ↗
The contamination forced Moldovan authorities to cut off water supply to several districts, including Balti — the country's second-largest city with 90,000 residents. Thousands of people now depend on tanker deliveries of drinking water. Kyiv Post reported that Moldova's Minister of Foreign Affairs summoned the Russian ambassador and handed him a note of protest along with a bottle of dirty water from the Dniester — a symbolic gesture that went viral on social media. Kyiv Post ↗ Kyiv Independent ↗
Russia responded by launching a disinformation campaign. Pro-Russian media spread claims that the contamination was caused by an overturned Ukrainian fuel truck, that "highly toxic rocket fuel" leaked during the operation of Ukrainian air defense, or that Russian forces had struck a "Ukrainian rocket assembly workshop." Euromaidan Press documented that all of these versions were debunked — satellite imagery clearly shows damage to the hydroelectric plant itself and an oil leak from its transformer station. Euromaidan Press ↗
The situation is complicated by Transnistria — a separatist region on the eastern bank of the Dniester controlled by Russia, where approximately 1,500 Russian troops are stationed. Since January 2025, Transnistria has faced its own energy crisis after the halt of Russian gas transit through Ukraine — the region lost heating and hot water. The contamination of the Dniester also affects residents of Transnistria, creating a paradox — Russia is damaging the environment of its own allies. CNN ↗
Moldova's case is not isolated. Wartime destruction of infrastructure along the Dniester, the Dnieper, and other rivers has a cumulative impact on the entire Black Sea region. The destruction of the Nova Kakhovka dam in June 2023 caused an ecological catastrophe that affected hundreds of thousands of people. Experts warn that if the Novodnistrovsk dam were more seriously damaged, the consequences would affect not only Ukraine but also Moldova — an EU candidate country. Ukraine's state energy operator Ukrhydroenergo announced that repairs will take at least six weeks. Euromaidan Press ↗ NPR ↗
Moldova Faces Water Crisis After Russian Attack: Dniester Contaminated with Oil Products, 80% of Population at Risk
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