The scale of the ecological disaster in the Black Sea after the spill of oil products from Russian tankers continues to grow. Oil stains were found not only near Anapa but also in the coastal waters of Crimea, in the Kerch Strait, and even in the open sea.
After the accident of two Russian tankers “Volgoneft-212” and “Volgoneft-239” in the Kerch Strait, an ecological disaster occurred in the Black Sea, which has already polluted more than 100 km of coastline. Russia officially recognizes only 63 of it: the Emryuk district 19 kilometers, and Anapa 44 kilometers.
The scale of pollution in the sea has not yet been accurately assessed, but it is obvious that they are already having a terrible impact on the fauna and flora of the Black Sea.
The situation is made worse by the fact that in early January there was stormy weather, which seriously increased the area of contamination. In addition, in the occupied Crimea, the Russians are not even trying to eliminate the consequences of the organized ecological disaster and are hiding any information about it.
Pavel Goldin, professor at the I.I. Schmalhausen Institute of Zoology of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, and his colleagues are trying to assess the consequences of the Russian ecocide.
“The situation is extremely bad. Space images show dozens of fuel oil stains that have spread not only on the surface but also in the deep layers of water. This creates enormous difficulties for their detection and elimination.”
Unfortunately, the situation may even worsen. In recent weeks, more than 10 Russian ships have sunk or been seriously damaged. And given the stormy weather and the poor technical condition of Russian vessels, this number will grow.
Environmental organizations should seek a ban on Russia from using its environmentally dangerous fleet. The Russian Federation must also bear responsibility for all the large-scale environmental disasters that have occurred in recent years.
