Russia has caused an ecological disaster in the Black Sea after hitting oil tanks in the port of Odesa. Numerous living things, killed by pollution
A massive sunflower oil pollution on the Black Sea coast was recorded following Russian air attacks on the port of Odesa, in southern Ukraine, severely affecting the marine environment. Numerous birds and other living things were killed.
The captured images show stains of brown oil on the beaches of Odesa. PHOTO: X/@CforCD
Odesa, one of Ukraine's most important commercial ports, has in recent weeks been the target of some of the most intense bombing since the beginning of the war.
The Ukrainian authorities accuse Moscow of seeking to destroy the maritime infrastructure essential for the country's agricultural exports, according to AFP, quoted by Agerpres.
Images captured show brown oil slicks on Odesa beaches, as well as an oil slick floating on the surface of the sea. Volunteers stepped in to clean up the sand and collect the dead seabirds.
The governor of Odesa region, Oleg Kiper, stated in a statement that the pollution was caused by “massive enemy attack on port infrastructure, which damaged sunflower oil tanks, causing leaks.”
Marine ecology expert Vladislav Balinski qualified the incident as a “ecological disaster”, stating that dozens of dead birds were found on the coast, especially young corcodes.
For his part, veterinarian Leonid Stoianov, involved in the rescue operations, explained to AFP that the affected birds die of hypothermia after the oil removes the natural layer of fat from their feathers, essential for maintaining body temperature.
