Environmental terrorism: new oil slicks and dead birds found off Odesa coast after Russian attack

Oil slicks have been recorded in the Black Sea within the Odesa district, as well as on the territory of the Tuzly Lagoons National Nature Park.

Source: Ukraine's Centre for Countering Disinformation

Details: It was reported that the pollution was caused by damage to tanks containing sunflower oil near the Adzhalyk Estuary during a Russian UAV attack in late December 2025.

As a result, part of the oil leaked into the sea. National park staff currently report contamination covering an area of about 10,000 square metres.

"Although most of the oil has polymerised over time and settled on the bottom of the Odesa Bay, the surface film restricts oxygen access and makes it difficult for marine organisms to breathe. During the recent storm, this led to the mass death of crabs," the centre said.

The agency described the incident as another act of environmental terrorism by Russia in the Black Sea, noting that attacks on ports and civilian industrial and logistics facilities not only threaten human life but also destroy ecosystems, with consequences extending far beyond the battlefield.

Meanwhile, Ivan Rusiev, head of the scientific department of the Tuzly Lagoons National Park, wrote on social media that the oil spill had killed numerous hydrobionts – including fish, molluscs, algae and other marine life – as well as birds.

According to Rusiev, after strong storms over the past several weeks, an average of about seven birds per kilometre of coastline have washed ashore. Among the finds were the bodies and remains of great crested and black-necked grebes, coots, red-throated divers, mallards, swans, great cormorants and other species.

"Based on the total data on live birds collected in Odesa for rehabilitation – with only a very small percentage surviving – as well as field observations in the national park after bird carcasses were washed ashore, it can be estimated that the oil spill in Odesa Bay led to the deaths of around 5,000 birds," Rusiev said.

Background: Earlier, Ihor Biliakov, director of the Odesa Zoo, said that a reception centre for affected birds had been set up at the zoo, where rescued birds are cleaned of oil, dried and released back into the wild.

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