The Black and Azov Seas near Crimea have turned into a sump

Crimean nature reserves have been turned into landfills, and the seas into poisonous sumps. Under the guise of military needs, Russia is turning unique natural areas into landfills.

This was reported by the Crimean Platform.

The occupation of Crimea has caused a systemic environmental disaster: the peninsula is being militarized, nature is being destroyed, and the Black and Azov Seas are being poisoned. Military equipment, fortifications, fuel oil dumps, destruction of nature reserves and loss of protection status for unique species - all this has become commonplace under Russian control.

A key example is the transformation of the Opuk reserve into a military training ground. Since April 2025, firing, explosions, and exercises involving military equipment and aircraft have been taking place there every day. The unique natural complex, which was supposed to be protected by law, is being destroyed under the treads of tanks.

Another blow is the large-scale pollution of the Kerch Strait with fuel oil, which began on December 15, 2024. Due to the accident of two old Russian tankers, up to 3,700 tons of fuel oil got into the sea, polluting 500 km of the coast. Marine ecosystems, protected areas, and the habitat of dolphins and porpoises were affected.

The Russians are also building fortifications and other military infrastructure in coastal areas, destroying landscapes, causing soil erosion and displacement of flora and fauna. The coast of the Kerch Peninsula, Cape Takil, Yeni-Kale and the outskirts of Kerch have been particularly affected.

The occupation administration is destroying environmental sites, in particular as a result of the construction of the Tavrida highway and the Crimean Bridge. The waste management crisis is also deepening: garbage is not being recycled, illegal landfills are growing, and incinerators are threatening to release new toxic substances.

At the same time, the protected status of unique species that were protected by Ukrainian legislation but not listed in the Red Book of the Russian Federation is being lost. According to the NGO CrimeaSOS, the survival of these species is not guaranteed.

Under the occupation, wastewater treatment systems are also being destroyed, which worsens water quality in coastal areas and poses health risks to the local population.

Ukraine has called on the international community to strengthen environmental monitoring in the temporarily occupied territory of Crimea and to initiate an independent investigation into the large-scale environmental damage caused by Russian aggression.

The occupied Crimea does not disclose how many waterfowl died after the environmental disaster in the Kerch Strait. It is only known that only about 2% of them survived. The exact number of dead birds is still unknown. Earlier it was reported that at least 84 dolphins were killed due to the accident of Volgoneft tankers and fuel oil spill.

Анна Бальчінос