A Sea That Cannot Heal: The Black Sea’s Ecology in Wartime
Without joint action by Ukraine and its Western neighbors, Russia’s environmental crimes may go unpunished The Black Sea is often described as a theater of military operations. Far less often is it noted that it is also a shared ecosystem whose shores border NATO states (Bulgaria, Romania, Türkiye), EU candidate countries (Ukraine and Georgia, although the latter’s accession process is…
The Black Sea, a shared ecosystem bordering NATO states and Russia, has become a theater of military operations with severe environmental consequences. Roughly 20,000 dolphins are estimated to have died in the first half of 2026 alone, with over 100,000 dead since the full-scale invasion began. This figure is a model, not a direct count, as most carcasses sink, and few are ever found.
The 2019 ACCOBAMS aerial survey estimated dolphin populations of about 108,000 common dolphins, 94,000 harbor porpoises, and 23,000 bottlenose dolphins. The loss of 100,000 dolphins would represent a significant population decline, but firm conclusions are premature until aerial surveys can be conducted across all Ukrainian waters, including Crimea, after the war.
The primary cause of death is likely not direct killings but weakened individuals whose echolocation is damaged, leading to starvation and increased vulnerability to viral infections. Destruction of the Kakhovka Dam released 14.4 billion cubic meters of water, causing mass mussel die-offs and abnormal salinity levels. Mines, oil spills, and aging tankers also contribute to environmental contamination, with little data available from Russian-controlled waters.
Written by urgent.news from UATV English's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
