Russian strikes on port of Odesa cause oil spill in Black Sea, killing birds

This was reported on Telegram by the head of the Odesa Regional Military Administration, Oleh Kipper, according to Ukrinform.

“The reason is damage to sunflower oil tanks as a result of massive enemy attacks on port infrastructure, causing some of the vegetable oil to spill onto the territory of the enterprise, the roadway, and into the estuary, and then into the sea,” the report said.

Kipper noted that for the first two days after the attack, the port was under continuous shelling by the Russian army, so work to localize the spill could only be carried out partially, exclusively during breaks between air raid alerts and in compliance with all safety requirements for personnel. During this period, specialists carried out the phased installation of boom barriers. To prevent further spread of pollution, the Pivdennyi Sea Port Administration blocked the port channel with two layers of boom barriers. A specialized fleet and vessels for collecting pollution from the water surface were involved in the work.

According to Kipper, the waters of the Pivdennyi port were temporarily closed until the consequences of the vegetable oil spill were completely eliminated.

The head of the region added that the Odesa Zoo has now accepted birds affected by the oil spill for rehabilitation.

The Office of the Prosecutor General reports that on December 24, stains resembling vegetable oil were found on the coast of Odesa region beaches and in the sea.

Specialists are working on site: they are conducting a survey of the area, and the environmental inspection is taking samples for laboratory testing.

Once all the circumstances have been established, the damage caused to the environment will be calculated, and engineering and environmental assessments are planned. The investigation is ongoing.

Prosecutors from the department for combating crimes committed in conditions of armed conflict, together with environmental prosecutors from the Odesa Regional Prosecutor's Office, are conducting procedural supervision in criminal proceedings for the commission of war crimes (Part 1 of Article 438 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine).

As reported by Ukrinform, oil-like stains and dead birds were found in the area of the Dolphin and Lanzheron beaches in Odesa.