The Russian war of invasion hits Ukraine’s nature hard.
Now scientists are sounding the alarm about mass deaths among dolphins and porpoises in the Black Sea.
– We collect as much evidence as we can. They have destroyed all kinds of ecosystems – on the ground, in the water and in the forest, says researcher and biologist Pavel Goldin at the Schmalhausen National Academy in Odessa, Ukraine.
When the Kachkovka dam burst in June, industries and farms were flooded. Chemicals from factories, bacteria and microorganisms from, for example, manure and dead fish, were washed into the Black Sea.
Something that scientists now suspect has affected dolphins and porpoises in the Black Sea.
– We have found quite a few carcasses, which have no trace of being bycatch during fishing, says researcher and biologist Pavel Goldin at the Schmalhausen National Academy, Odessa, Ukraine.
– But they showed many pathological signs that looked suspicious.
Investigating 252 environmental crimes
Unfortunately, the Kakhovka dam is not the only damage to nature. So far, Ukraine has documented 252 environmental crimes following the Russian attacks.
– They have damaged all kinds of ecosystems – on the ground, in the water, in the forest and on the steppe, says Pavel Goldin.
Ukrainian President Zelensky previously raised the large number of dead dolphins as an argument when he accused Russia of ecocide. For just over four months, Sweden’s former foreign minister Margot Wallström has been working in a team that maps the environmental damage, tries to establish evidence and also contributes in other ways.
– We can mobilize international support and help and expertise. We are not supposed to do the work ourselves, but we can help prepare recommendations, says Margot Wallström.
Can be sentenced for ecocide
The hope is now that Russia can be judged either in an international court, or if that doesn’t work, in Ukrainian law, where there is a crime called ecocide. For Ukraine, it is important to get redress.
– This costs enormous amounts to restore, notes Margot Wallström.
– What can be restored. We will never be able to put a price tag on some. For Ukraine, it is incredibly important that Russia is made responsible and that they also have to pay for it.