On the margins of the 2025 UN Ocean Conference in Nice, a bilateral working meeting was held between the Ukrainian and Romanian delegations. Secretary-General Alexandru Avram from the Ministry of Environment, Water and Forests of Romania represented the Romanian side. The Ukrainian side informed about the catastrophic consequences of Russian armed aggression for the Black Sea ecosystem, focusing on the large-scale heavy fuel oil spill of December 2024, caused by an accident involving Russian tankers, and called for consolidation of international efforts to overcome the environmental crisis.

During the meeting, participants emphasized that, in addition to direct hostilities, events that are not directly related to the warfare also have a devastating impact on the marine environment. These include the illegal construction of a bridge across the Kerch Strait in 2018, the destruction of the Kakhovka Dam by the Russian army in 2023, and the oil spill in the Kerch Strait in 2024. The latter event is an example of the catastrophic consequences of the irresponsible occupation policy of the Russian government and the use of the so-called “shadow fleet” of the Russian Federation.

As a result of the accident involving the Russian tankers Volgoneft-212 and Volgoneft-239, a significant amount of heavy fuel oil was released into the Black Sea and the Kerch Strait. This resulted in large-scale pollution of the Black Sea water and posed a serious threat to marine ecosystems, coastal areas, and biodiversity. The full extent of the spill remains unclear in the absence of an independent international assessment, but preliminary estimates indicate at least 4,000 tons of spilled fuel oil, making this the largest oil spill in the history of the Black Sea region.

The Ukrainian party emphasized that Russia’s presence in the Black Sea has caused massive human rights violations, military, food, and environmental damage. The use of the Crimean Peninsula by the Russian Federation as a military base is becoming a threat not only to Ukraine, but will also have long-term consequences for other countries. Restoration of ecosystems requires broad international cooperation and a comprehensive approach. Only the liberation of the Crimean Peninsula from Russian occupation will allow restoring environmental safety and taking effective measures to overcome the negative consequences of the occupation.