This is reported by Ivan Rusev, an ecologist from the National Park «Tuzlovski Lymany».

Reports indicate that dolphins in the Black Sea are dying due to weakened immunity and water pollution. Ecologists argue that the primary cause of these marine mammals' deaths is the concussions they suffer from sonar systems used by Russian military forces to detect underwater objects.

«Such injuries lead to a decrease in their immune systems, which was particularly noticeable in 2022 during the active phase of the conflict in the Northwest region of the sea. When the Armed Forces of Ukraine pushed back their military vessels first to the occupied Sevastopol and then to Novorossiysk, they continued to harm dolphins by employing lethal military sonars. Consequently, the impact of these sonars results in weakened immunity and various diseases, including skin conditions,» notes Ivan Rusev.

According to ecologists, over the past three years, more than 80,000 cetaceans have died in the Black Sea due to sonar exposure, mine detonations, and bombings. Additionally, several thousand dolphins fell victim to oil spills caused by tanker accidents in the Kerch Strait.