The Russians have virtually destroyed the ecosystem in the Kinburn Spit, — Ukrainian Navy

A unique part of the Black Sea and Dnieper-Bug Estuary has undergone catastrophic changes as a result of the full-scale invasion of the Russian Federation.

As a result of hostilities in southern Ukraine, one of the most valuable coastal ecosystems of the Black Sea, the Kinburn Spit, has been virtually destroyed. This was stated by the spokesman for the Ukrainian Navy, Dmytro Pletenchuk,  according to Ukrinform.

“Kinburn was a special place, both for the residents of Mykolaiv Oblast and for the entire south. Today, its condition is critical, the spit has suffered devastating losses. Whether it will be possible to restore it is still unknown,” Pletenchuk said.

The Kinburn Spit is located at the junction of the Black Sea and the Dnieper-Bug Estuary. This is a natural boundary of the water areas, important for sea currents, fauna, and the balance of the region’s aquatic ecosystems.

According to the Navy spokesman, along with Kinburn, other coastal and marine ecosystems suffered, including flora and fauna near Crimea. Separate studies indicate a mass death of Black Sea dolphins. Also, ecologists from Odessa region report oil slicks that have reached local beaches.

Pletenchuk stressed that Russia is blocking access to international environmental missions to the Black Sea coast, trying to hide the real scale of the environmental disaster.

USM also previously reported that the Russians need the Kinburn Spit to block the port of Mykolaiv.