Tens of thousands of Moldovans have been left without water due to a Russian strike on a hydroelectric plant in Ukraine, which 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 an attack on Ukraine’s Novodnistrovsk hydropower plant on March 7, which is located about 9 miles from Moldova's northern border with Ukraine. The situation has forced the authorities to cut the water supply to several districts, including the second-largest city of Balti, which has a population of about 90,000 people. The Russian strike has resulted in a state of alert for 15 days in Moldova, giving the authorities a legal mechanism to increase technical interventions and impose temporary restrictions on water supplies. The environmental ministry has declared an environmental state-of-alert period, allowing for technical and temporary measures to prevent any risk to the population's health. Meanwhile, Romania has dispatched teams and equipment to aid cleanup efforts. The water shortage has also forced some schools to close and move learning online.