A Russian-led shelling of a gas station in Kyiv’s Obolon district on the night of July 2 led to a serious environmental disaster – a massive oil spill into Lake Kyrylivske, part of the Opechen Lake system, the Ministry of Economy, Environment, and Agriculture reported.
"Thanks to the prompt action of the services, the spread of the bulk of the fuel was contained at the approaches to the reservoir. However, according to preliminary estimates, more than 350 tonnes of petroleum products and emulsion still entered the lake," the ministry noted on its Telegram channel.
According to a press release, specialists are implementing a two-stage cleanup plan for the reservoir: the State Emergency Service has already contained the pollution using booms, and now specialized equipment is removing the main layer of oil products from the lake’s surface.
The next step is to treat the water with a special sorbent, which will bind the remaining oil film for subsequent removal. This will help prevent contamination of the seabed and groundwater.
"The pollution was contained within the first few hours, but the environmental damage is extremely serious. The Ministry of Economy has already begun documenting the environmental damage," Deputy Minister Iryna Ovcharenko said in the release.
In the near future, the Commission on Technogenic and Environmental Safety and Emergencies will approve a comprehensive liquidation plan, which includes the final cleanup of the lake, ongoing water quality monitoring, monitoring of neighboring bodies of water, an assessment of environmental damage, and further ecosystem restoration.
Until the water’s chemical status has fully returned to normal, swimming, fishing, and any other contact with the water in Lakes Kyrylivske and Iordanske are strictly prohibited.
The day before, Minister of Economy Oleksiy Sobolev reported that the pollution of Lake Kyrylivske was caused by oil products entering the reservoir through the wastewater system after the WOG oil depot’s tanks were damaged by shelling.
"I held talks with WOG, which will provide the necessary capacity and specialized equipment for pumping out petroleum products," Sobolev noted.
He also added that as of July 3, the estimated volume of the contaminated water layer was about 1,700 cubic meters, but no contamination had been recorded entering Dnipro.
