Tons of Sunflower Oil Pollute Major River in Ukraine After Russian Drone Attack

As of the morning of Friday, Jan. 3, about 42 tons of sunflower oil were pumped out of the Southern Bug River, which became polluted with vegetable oil after a Dec. 28 Russian drone attack.

Debris from a downed Russian drone had struck an industrial vegetable oil tank in southern Ukraine, spilling dozens of tons of sunflower oil into one of the country’s largest rivers – the Southern Bug.

“In order to eliminate the consequences, sorbing booms from Mykolaiv’s material reserve were deployed by our specialists from the 10th platoon of the DVGRZ of the State Emergency Service,” Mykolaiv Mayor Oleksandr Senkevych wrote on Telegram.

“These were locally installed in the contaminated areas of the water body. Experts have been pumping out oil for days. They note that there is no significant negative impact on the environment, as the oil is of organic origin.”

Senkevych said that heavy equipment would be used throughout the day to clear oil-contaminated sand from the riverbanks in the region.

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“This is yet another proof of Russia’s crimes. Their goal is clear – to destroy everything,” Senkevych wrote.

The Southern Bug is one of the largest rivers in Ukraine and Europe. In Ukraine, it flows into the Black Sea and is actively used for cargo navigation. Several large cities are situated along the river, including the shipbuilding hub of Mykolaiv, home to 500,000 people.