Russia prepares the “water coup of the century”

The Russians’ idea will be to turn Siberia into a desert to blackmail part of Asia for water supplies.

Os Russians are working on Siberia. The Russian Academy of Sciences has returned to a large-scale infrastructure project.

The Russians’ idea, the researchers reveal, is divert part of the water resources of the Ob river of Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan.

Officially, the objective is “stabilize the water supply of southern Russia”. However, according to the Ukrainians, the idea is turn Siberia into a desert to blackmail Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan because of the water supply.

In other words, leaving both countries with (a lot of) less wateras a form of political pressure.

It’s the recovery of a soviet plan of “unfolding of the rivers of Siberia” – which has been stopped since 1986 due to high and unpredictable environmental risks.

O Kremlin tries to increase its influence in Central Asia. Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan are gas exporters focused on Chinese market, and the region’s economy increasingly depends on Chinese and Western capital. And not Russian.

Thus, Russia is betting on “water diplomacy”. It is a new form of political pressure on the two Asian countries, which were also part of the Soviet Union.

And the “water scam of the century”, summarizes , Ukrainian channel.

Rio Ob, map

Diverting water flows could lead to the desertification of some areas and the flooding of others, destabilizing hydrological systems and accelerating the melting of Arctic glaciers.

The disruption of the water balance in Siberia could trigger large-scale climate change across much of Eurasia.

The project cost should start from 85 billion euros – a value that could be much higher later on.