1,800 tons of oil spilled into the River Nikolaev: The Ministry of Natural Resources has estimated the damage cost.

1800 tons of oil in the river of Mykolaiv: the Ministry of Environmental Protection named the damage amount

In Mykolaiv, as a result of a Russian attack on December 28, approximately 1800 tons of sunflower oil leaked into the waters of the Bug estuary. The estimated damage amounts to 45 billion hryvnias.

This was reported by the press service of the Ministry of Environmental Protection and Natural Resources of Ukraine.

"As a result of a Russian drone striking a tank of vegetable oil in Mykolaiv region, an accident occurred that led to soil and water pollution in the Bug estuary, approximately with 1800 tons of sunflower oil," the statement reads.

Initially, an oil slick covering an area of 1000 square meters with a thickness of about 1 cm was recorded. As of January 2, the area of contamination has increased to 9000 square meters, with some spots reaching a thickness of 10 cm.

The agency reported that specialists from the State Environmental Inspection took 13 samples of water and soil for laboratory analysis. In particular, the concentration of pollutants at some points is 189.7 mg/dm³.

Emergency services have already conducted booms in two bays of the Bug estuary to prevent further spread of contamination. Efforts to collect oil and take water and soil samples for laboratory analysis are ongoing.

Currently, about 45 tons of vegetable oil have been collected from the two bays of the Bug estuary. Work is also underway to gather and process materials to calculate the environmental damage incurred.

As reported by the Ministry of Environmental Protection, according to preliminary estimates, the total damage is approximately 45 billion hryvnias. All relevant authorities, including the Mykolaiv branch of the State Enterprise AMPU and the State Environmental Inspection, are actively working to mitigate the consequences.