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

Fishers along the Black Sea coast frequently find suffocated dolphins entangled in their nets. They release them by cutting off their fins, leaving bodies with net marks washing ashore. The ongoing Russia-Ukraine conflict has caused hundreds times more dolphin deaths than previously recorded, according to Ivan Rusev, head researcher at the Tuzly Lagoons national park in southern Ukraine.

Massive Dolphin Deaths

In 2022 alone, approximately 50,000 dolphins died, with the number exceeding 120,000 by 2026—representing one in four cetaceans in the Black Sea. Dolphins, as apex predators, play a crucial role in maintaining the sea's ecosystem balance.

Military Impact

Explosions, missile launches, and military sonar systems disorient dolphins, deafening their primary survival tool—echolocation. This prevents them from navigating, communicating, and hunting effectively. Many dead dolphins appear starved despite having their fins intact.

Environmentalists from Bulgaria, Romania, and Turkiye have also reported increased dolphin deaths, with Dimitar Popov of Green Balkans confirming that sonar systems "definitely affect cetaceans and their echolocation and hearing abilities."

Environmental Catastrophe

The war has exacerbated the Black Sea's fragile ecosystem, already suffering from munition chemicals, oil spills, and sunken vessels. The 2023 destruction of the Kakhovka dam released 18 cubic kilometers of contaminated water, further degrading water quality.

Pollutants accumulate in dolphin blubber, weakening their immune systems and making them susceptible to morbillivirus infections. Fish species like mullet and bluefish have become scarce, affecting the entire food chain. Russian environmental monitors have attributed deaths to "parasites" and "virus infections" without providing evidence.