Fuel from Russian tankers has reached the shores of Odesa.

Mazut has reached the shores of Odesa, spilled as a result of an accident involving Russian tankers in the Kerch Strait.

Dr. Ivan Rusev, head of the research department at the "Tuzlivski Lymany" national park in Odesa region, reported this information.

According to him, after the storms, mazut was washed onto the sandy spit in the recreational area of "Katranka" near the Danube Biosphere Reserve and the National Nature Park "Tuzlivski Lymany".

"The consequences of such ecological disasters are boundless, and the thousands of tons of mazut that have spilled into the sea will cause significant harm to the natural ecosystems of the Black Sea and its biodiversity," Rusev wrote.

He mentioned that a bird was previously found covered in mazut. It was officially sent for research to the Ukrainian Marine Ecology Center to determine links to the mazut in the Black Sea after the accident. However, its director reportedly refused to take the bird for study, "fearing avian flu or something else."

"Is the government in the Odesa region prepared for an effective response to the dreadful challenges posed by the Russian Federation in the Black Sea? Currently, the national park team is surveying various sections of the spit, and our national park administration will provide updates on the scale of the pollution," Rusev wrote.

The administration of the "Tuzlivski Lymany" National Park is now preparing documents to inform the Ecology Department of the Odesa Military Administration and the State Ecological Inspection, according to "Suspilne".

As per their information, the State Ecological Inspection of the Southwestern District reported that they had not received any requests regarding pollution detection on the Odesa coast, but they will conduct a visit to document and collect water samples.

Iryna Shatohina, director of the Ecology and Natural Resources Department of the Odesa Regional Military Administration, stated that the region is fully prepared to respond. Additionally, according to the official, monitoring is being conducted by UkrNTSEM, and there have been no recorded incidents in the Odesa region so far, but both the Administration of Seaports of Ukraine and the State Ecological Inspection are informed and ready to respond rapidly in the event of such an emergency. "They have the capacity to conduct laboratory research and appropriate monitoring," Shatohina noted.

Viktor Komorin, director of the institute, told "Suspilne" that the mazut that spilled as a result of the accident in the Kerch Strait on December 15, 2024, could either settle on the seabed or eventually reach the Odesa coast, as clumps of mazut can exist in the seawater for several months.

"And therefore, there is a possibility that mazut will reach the Odesa coastline in the form of such clumps. Moreover, local authorities, as well as the Ministry of Environmental Protection, the State Emergency Service, are all aware of this and are ready to respond promptly if such an emergency situation arises near the Odesa coast."

Recall: On December 15, two Russian tankers—"Volgoneft-212" and "Volgoneft-239"—sustained damage near the Kerch Strait in the Black Sea. Both were built in the 1980s. According to media reports, the tankers were carrying approximately 4,300 tons of mazut each. The head of the Russian Federation, Putin, stated that 40% of the fuel had leaked from them.

Background. Earlier, Mind reported that mazut from the sunken tankers "Volgoneft-212" and "Volgoneft-239" washed ashore in the Krasnodar region. The beaches turned black, and animals were harmed.