Up to 100,000 Dolphins May Have Died in the Black Sea Since the Start of the War
Military actions in the Black Sea have dealt a catastrophic blow to the dolphin population. According to estimates by Ukrainian biologist Ivan Rusev from Tuzlovski Limany National Park, the number of deceased marine mammals could reach 100,000 individuals since the beginning of 2022.
As the scientist noted in an interview with the German publication ZDF heute, the scale of the tragedy is difficult to assess visually, as only about five percent of dead animals wash ashore, the rest sink to the bottom. In the first week of June 2026 alone, 43 dead dolphins were found on the coastline of the Ukrainian national park. Before the war, this figure was 4-5 animals for the entire year. Data on the increasing number of stranded dolphins are also coming from other Black Sea countries.
The main cause of mass mortality is Russia's military activity. Powerful military sonars, underwater drones, and sea mine explosions destroy dolphins' hearing. Having lost their hearing and spatial orientation, the animals lose the ability to hunt and die of starvation. Another factor is chemical pollution. The destruction of the Kakhovka HPP, attacks on port infrastructure, and the sinking of warships with fuel and ammunition have led to the release of enormous amounts of toxic substances. Dolphins, being at the top of the food chain, accumulate heavy metals in their bodies, leading to poisoning.
Biologists warn that a disappearance of this scale threatens the collapse of the entire Black Sea ecosystem, which will inevitably affect populations of smaller fish and disrupt the ecological balance. Scientists will only be able to assess the exact scale of the environmental catastrophe after the war ends.
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