Mykolaiv Cleans Up Oil Spill After Russian Drone Attack - ₴ 45B Damage

Work continues in Mykolaiv to clean up the Southern Bug River after an oil spill caused by an attack by enemy drones. Specialists are using a sorbent to speed up the cleanup.

This was reported by the press service of the Mykolaiv City Council.

Specialists have started a new stage of the cleanup - at Pier 5, they are treating the water surface with a special sorbent called Econadin. This drug effectively absorbs the remaining pollutants, speeding up the process of cleaning the river.

PHOTO: Mykolaiv City Council

All work is carried out in compliance with environmental standards and under the supervision of specialists.

A vegetable oil tank on the territory of an agricultural enterprise in Mykolaiv was damaged by the fall of a Russian drone on the night of December 28, 2024. To eliminate the consequences, the city's material reserve was used to provide sorbent booms, which were promptly installed by rescuers at the sites of water pollution.

PHOTO: Mykolaiv City Council

Initially, the pollution area was 1000 square meters and the oil layer was about 1 centimeter thick. However, by January 2, the contaminated area had expanded to 9,000 square meters, and in some places the oil layer reached 10 centimeters.

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

In January, 119 tons of oil were pumped out of the river, and the work continued even at night. All services were working in an enhanced mode to minimize damage to the environment and water resources.

PHOTO: Mykolaiv City Council

According to preliminary estimates by the Ministry of Environment, the environmental damage amounted to UAH 45 billion. At the same time, no cases of death of aquatic bioresources or domestic animals have been recorded.

Анна Бальчінос