The Seim River, one of the Desna River’s tributaries, is experiencing a real ecological disaster caused by Russian activities in the Kursk region, where the river originates.
Locals started reporting first reports of pollution in the river a few days ago.
Join us on Telegram
Follow our coverage of the war at @Kyivpost_official .
So, Leonid Dusha, head of the Baturin community, said in comments to Suspirny that locals noticed a bad smell coming from the river on the evening of August 26. Sergey Zhuk, director of the local environmental inspection agency, also told reporters that experts had taken water samples to determine the cause of the pollution.
Subsequently, it was discovered that the water was low in oxygen. Environmental inspectors speculated that the contaminated water came from the Russian settlement of Teyotkino in the Kursk region, where Ukrainian troops were continuing their counterattack.
Baturin immediately banned swimming and fishing.
As early as August 27, the Ukrainian State Agency for Land Reclamation, Fisheries and Food Program Development issued an official comment.
The State Fisheries Agency declared an ecological disaster in the Seym River: “The enemy continues to commit environmental crimes. Thus, since August 14, Russian terrorists may have dumped waste of unknown substances into the Seym River, leading to large-scale pollution of the reservoir.”
According to the agency, the pollution spread to the entire waters of the Seym River in Sumy Oblast and reached the Chernihiv Oblast, where “black water, a rotten smell, traces of ammonia and dead fish appeared, especially near the town of Baturin.”
Other topics of interest
Ukraine strengthens border control to prevent Belarusian invasion
Ukraine said it was monitoring the Belarusian border after Minsk deployed troops and equipment to the region, but added that there was no immediate threat along the border.
Therefore, the Konotop District Committee on Technical and Environmental Safety and Emergency Situations decided to temporarily (until a special order) ban swimming, fishing and economic use of Seym River water in the territory of Novoslobidska, Bochechkivska, Popivska villages, Burynska, Putivlska, Krolevetska town communities.
The Kyiv Post published photos taken by Baturin residents of a polluted river in the Chernigov region and a fish that died from lack of oxygen.