Russian Attack Polluted Kharkiv Rivers With Oil Products, in Photos

Karina Bondar - 13 February 2024 | 19:18

KHARKIV, UKRAINE, Feb 13 — The oil slick formed on the Nemyshlia and Kharkiv rivers after the spill caused by Russian drones shelling an oil depot on February 9, a Gwara Media correspondent reported.

The Nemyshlia River in Kharkiv, polluted with oil products / Photo: Ivan Samoilov for Gwara Media
The Nemyshlia River in Kharkiv, polluted with oil products / Photo: Ivan Samoilov for Gwara Media

The Russian attack on the oil depot on February 9 contaminated more than 10,000 square meters of land, the head of the National Police Investigation Department, Serhii Bolvinov, told Gwara Media. 

There is information that the oil depot’s damage caused a diesel and petrol leak. The base stored more than 3,800 tons of fuel. In addition to contaminating the land, oil products also got into the Nemyshlia River.

Firefighters spent almost 60 hours putting out the blaze after the Russian shelling of the Nemyshlianskyi district of Kharkiv. The fire covered almost 4,000 square meters.

Inspectors will examine oil depots and petrol stations in Kharkiv. According to the mayor, Ihor Terekhov, such inspections are necessary to prevent the consequences of possible new attacks from Russia.

The environmental disaster on the rivers of Kharkiv and the oblast after Russia’s strike on an oil depot will not affect the quality of drinking water in the city, the Kharkiv City Council reported.

Read more: Russian Drone Attack Caused Massive Fire in Kharkiv, Killing Seven

The Nemyshlia River in Kharkiv, polluted with oil products / Photo: Ivan Samoilov for Gwara Media
The Nemyshlia River in Kharkiv, polluted with oil products / Photo: Ivan Samoilov for Gwara Media
The Nemyshlia River in Kharkiv, polluted with oil products / Photo: Ivan Samoilov for Gwara Media
The Nemyshlia River in Kharkiv, polluted with oil products / Photo: Ivan Samoilov for Gwara Media
The Nemyshlia River in Kharkiv, polluted with oil products / Photo: Ivan Samoilov for Gwara Media
The Nemyshlia River in Kharkiv, polluted with oil products / Photo: Ivan Samoilov for Gwara Media
The Nemyshlia River in Kharkiv, polluted with oil products / Photo: Ivan Samoilov for Gwara Media

What is known about the shelling of Kharkiv on February 9

On February 9, at about 10:46 p.m., the Russian army shelled an oil depot in the Nemyshlianskyi district of Kharkiv with Shahed kamikaze drones. The fire burned down 15 private houses to the ground.

Seven people died. Rescuers found the charred bodies of a family in a private house: a husband, wife, and their three children: boys aged ten months, four years, and seven years. A 66-year-old man and his 65-year-old wife died in another house. There is information that the Russian army launched at least ten unmanned aerial vehicles [for this attack] from the territory of the Belgorod Oblast of Russia.

Photo credits: The Nemyshlia River in Kharkiv, polluted with oil products / Photo: Ivan Samoilov for Gwara Media

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