Environmental Damage from Russian Drone Strike in Mykolaiv Estimated at ₴6.7M

Environmentalists have calculated the amount of damage to the coastal zone of the Bug Estuary as a result of the Russian kamikaze drone attack on Mykolaiv. The damage amounted to almost UAH 7 million.

This was reported by the State Ecological Inspectorate of the Southwestern District.

On the night of December 28, 2024, a container with vegetable oil belonging to Ecotrans LLC was damaged as a result of an enemy drone strike. As a result of the accident, the land plot of the coastal protection zone of the Bug Estuary was contaminated.

According to preliminary data, the total area of contamination amounted to 700 square meters, and the amount of environmental damage is estimated at UAH 6.7 million.

Specialists of the State Environmental Inspectorate promptly recorded the consequences of the accident and passed the information to the Operational Headquarters of the State Environmental Inspectorate of Ukraine. This data will be included in the unified register of environmental damage caused by armed aggression.

What is known about the attack

On December 28, 2024, a Russian drone hit a vegetable oil tank in Mykolaiv region. This caused a spill of about 1,800 tons of oil, which contaminated the soil and water in the Bug estuary.

Initially, the area of contamination was 1000 square meters with a layer of oil about 1 cm thick. However, by January 2, the contaminated area had increased to 9,000 square meters, and the layer thickness reached 10 cm in some places.

The State Environmental Inspectorate took 13 water and soil samples for analysis. At some points, the concentration of fats and oils in the water was 189.7 mg/dm³. Rescuers installed booms to limit the spread of oil and collected about 45 tons of contaminated liquid.

Meanwhile, environmental inspectors have managed to assess the environmental damage caused by a large-scale leak of sunflower oil into the Sukhyi Liman in Odesa Oblast.

Андрій Колісніченко