Russian attack on oil base: Four rivers polluted in Kharkiv region

This was reported by the State Environmental Inspection in the Kharkiv region on Facebook, according to Ukrinform.

"Due to another terrorist attack by Russian UAVs on February 9 in the Nemyshliansky district of the city of Kharkiv on Kotelna Street and Yaseneva Street, as a result of hitting a critical infrastructure object where containers with fuel and lubricants were stored, a massive fire occurred. Petroleum products entered the Nemyshlia River and further downstream into the Lopan, Udy, and Kharkiv rivers," the post said.

Environmental inspectors have examined water bodies and taken water samples. In particular, in the Udy River near the villages of Khorosheve and Temnivka (Kharkiv district), they found a "significant-sized oil stain that continues to move downstream."

The inspection informed the Kharkiv Regional Military Administration, the State Emergency Service of Ukraine in the Kharkiv region, and the Kharkiv Regional Prosecutor's Office about this. Laboratory studies of the collected water samples are ongoing.

The Kharkiv Municipal Enterprise "Kharkivvodokanal" stated that the pollution will not affect the quality of drinking water in Kharkiv. "The environmental disaster that occurred on the rivers of Kharkiv after the shelling will not affect the quality of the drinking water supplied to consumers, as the water intakes of the enterprise are located upstream from the confluence of the Udy River into the Siverskyi Donets River. Due to this complex situation, we have simultaneously strengthened the daily laboratory quality control of drinking water at all sampling points in the city," the statement said.

At the enterprise, they assured that only water from the water supply system is supplied to outdoor water intakes, and direct entry of river water into the network is excluded. It was also noted that the municipal enterprise has the necessary stock of reagents for water purification.

As reported by the Kharkiv Regional Military Administration, as of the evening of February 12, approximately 3000 tons of petroleum products had entered the surrounding environment.

Experts from the State Environmental Inspection in the Kharkiv region took water samples at nine sites in the city of Kharkiv and the region, specifically in the Udy River.

The location on the Udy River has been identified where measures will be taken to stop the movement of petroleum products using port infrastructure barriers and decontaminate water resources using sorbents.

Late in the evening on February 9, Russian forces attacked Kharkiv with kamikaze drones, hitting an oil depot in the Nemyshlianskyi district. The strike caused a fuel spill and ignited a fire, which spread to private buildings on Kotelna Street. Fifteen buildings were destroyed, and seven people lost their lives, including the family of prosecutor Olha Putiatina (herself, her husband, and three sons) and an elderly couple, the Manoylivs.

Firefighters battled the blaze at the oil depot for nearly 60 hours, and the State Emergency Service announced its final elimination on February 12.

Photo: State Environmental Inspection in Kharkiv region