Dead dolphins, naval mines: Russia-Ukraine war destroys the Black Sea

What the report says

Al Jazeera reports that Russia’s full-scale war in Ukraine has caused severe ecological damage across the Black Sea, with marine life and coastal habitats affected by combat, pollution and disrupted fishing. The article centers on the toll on dolphins, citing Ivan Rusev, a researcher at Ukraine’s Tuzly Lagoons national park, who says more than 120,000 dolphins and other cetaceans have died by 2026, including about 50,000 in 2022 alone. He says the dead animals often show signs of entanglement, starvation or illness, and that the losses amount to roughly one in four Black Sea cetaceans.

According to the report, explosions, naval activity and military sonar can disorient dolphins, interfere with echolocation and make it harder for them to find food. The article also describes broader contamination from sinking or damaging ships, tankers and freighters, which can release oil, fuel and other pollutants into the sea. It says the 2023 destruction of the Kakhovka dam added further environmental pressure by sending polluted water into the region.

The piece places the damage in a wider Black Sea context, noting that fishing has been curtailed by restrictions, mines and the war itself, while fish species have become less abundant. Environmentalists in Bulgaria, Romania and Turkiye have also reported more stranded cetaceans, though causes were not always clear. Al Jazeera adds that recovery is likely to be slow, with Rusev estimating it could take decades for dolphin populations to rebound and for the ecosystem to return closer to normal.