Lauge Risom Koch 
A new wave of dead dolphins and porpoises found along Ukraine’s Black Sea coast has intensified concerns about the environmental impact of Russia’s war.
Dozens of dead dolphins and porpoises discovered along Ukraine’s Black Sea coastline have renewed concerns about the environmental consequences of Russia’s invasion.
Ukrainian researchers warn that years of military activity are causing severe damage to marine life and pushing parts of the Black Sea ecosystem toward a critical state.
New wave of deaths
According to TVPWorld, 39 dead marine mammals were found between Friday and Sunday along a 37-kilometer stretch of coastline in the Tuzly Lagoons National Nature Park in Ukraine’s Odesa region.
The animals included 37 harbor porpoises, one bottlenose dolphin and one common dolphin.
Park ecologist Ivan Rusev said the number likely represents only a fraction of the total losses, as many carcasses may never reach shore or may wash up elsewhere across the Black Sea basin.
War’s impact
Rusev blamed the deaths on the wider consequences of Russia’s war against Ukraine.
“The main, terrible and only root cause of this horror is war,” he said.
“Due to the full-scale and barbaric war that Russia unleashed against Ukraine and against our entire environment, the Black Sea ecosystem is on the verge of collapse.”
According to TVPWorld, similar cases have recently been reported along the Romanian and Bulgarian coasts, while injured marine mammals have also been found near Odesa.
Environmental damage
Rusev previously estimated that around 50,000 Black Sea dolphins may have died since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022.
Experts cited by TVPWorld point to multiple contributing factors, including missile strikes, explosions, oil pollution, damaged vessels, military drones, toxic substances and heavy metal contamination.
These pressures have raised concerns about the long-term health of the Black Sea’s fragile ecosystem.
Sonar concerns
Military sonar systems are also considered a significant threat to dolphins and porpoises, which rely on sound for navigation and communication.
In comments previously given to the BBC, Rusev said intense sonar activity can severely disrupt marine mammals’ acoustic systems.
“When dolphins obtain this pressure from sonar, it destroys the acoustic system fully,” he said.
In a recent social media post cited by TVPWorld, Rusev warned that continued environmental destruction could have irreversible consequences.
“If the world does not stop the aggressor, the Black Sea risks losing its unique owners forever,” he wrote.
Sources: TVPWorld, BBC
