Pollution in the Black Sea after the Russian bombing of Odessa. Dozens of dead birds were pulled from the water
Oil spill near Odessa Photo: Lyashonok Nina/Ukrinform/ABACA / Abaca Press / Profimedia
Russian airstrikes on the port of Odesa in southern Ukraine caused sunflower oil pollution on the Black Sea coast, killing marine life, writes AFP, quoted by Agerpres.
Odessa, an important commercial port, has suffered in recent weeks some of the worst bombings in the nearly four years of war, with Ukrainian authorities denouncing the attacks as an attempt to destroy the country's maritime infrastructure, on which agricultural exports depend to a large extent.
An AFP journalist filmed pools of brown oil on the coast of Odessa and an oil slick floating on the surface of the sea on Wednesday. Volunteers were cleaning the sand and removing dead seabirds from the water.
“The cause is the enemy's massive attack on the port infrastructure, which damaged the sunflower oil tanks, causing leaks,” Governor Oleg Kiper explained in a statement.
Bombardment with ballistic missiles on the port of Odessa. “One of the biggest” attacks since the start of the war
Vladislav Balinski, an expert in marine ecology, described the incident as “an ecological disaster”. “On the coast there are dozens of dead birds, mostly young corcodes,” he wrote.
Leonid Stoianov, a veterinarian involved in rescuing the birds, told AFP that they die of hypothermia after coming into contact with the oil, which removes the natural layer of fat from their feathers.
