Kerch Strait Fuel-Oil Spill: Environmental Disaster and Manipulation in the Information Space
After 15 December 2024, the most important topic in Russian and Ukrainian media became the accident in the Kerch Strait involving the oil tankers Volgoneft 212 and Volgoneft 239, from which more than 9,000 tonnes of fuel oil spilled into the Black Sea. Journalists in the two countries, however, covered the event very differently.
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World Wetlands Day: How the War Is Destroying Ukraine’s Unique Nature Reserves
On 2 February, the world marks World Wetlands Day, which aims to raise awareness of unique ecosystems that provide a range of environmental, economic and social services. Under the Ramsar Convention, wetlands include all marshes and waterlogged areas, as well as fresh, brackish or salt-water bodies no more than six metres deep at low tide. The Convention obliges states to designate wetlands of international importance within their territories and to promote the conservation of wetlands and waterbirds by establishing nature reserves.
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Ukraine Strengthens Protection of Natural Areas by Improving Management of Emerald Network Sites
Thanks to an international partnership with Particip GmbH (Germany), Rewilding Ukraine (Ukraine) and the Conflict and Environment Observatory (CEOBS) (United Kingdom), and with support from the World Bank in Ukraine, an initiative to improve the management of Emerald Network sites that are of great importance for biodiversity conservation was launched at the end of October 2024.
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Fuel Oil from the Sunken Tankers Is Heading Toward Odesa. What Should Ukraine Do?
A month ago, a large amount of fuel oil entered the Black Sea as a result of the accidents involving two Volgoneft oil tankers in the Kerch Strait. No one still knows how many thousands of tonnes of petroleum products, or exactly which grade, ended up in the water. It is therefore difficult to predict how they will spread through the sea.
Will fuel oil appear off the coasts of Ukraine’s southern regions, including Odesa Bay? And what should we do to minimise the consequences of the ecocide in the Black Sea caused by the terrorist state? Unfortunately, the Ukrainian authorities have still not only failed to answer these questions, but are denying altogether the possibility that fuel oil could spread to the coast of Odesa Oblast.
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The “Heroes of Odesa Streets” Guide Challenges Russian Imperial Myths About Odesa
On the eve of the New Year, the “Heroes of Odesa Streets” guide was presented in Odesa. It contains a systematic factual study of Odesa toponyms through the lens of decolonisation. The study formed the basis of proposals by the Working Group under the Head of the Odesa Regional Military Administration concerning street renaming in Odesa. The guide explains the reasons and mechanisms behind changes to street names, debunks myths and legends about decolonisation, and offers an in-depth analysis of the consequences of these changes for the city’s cultural and historical heritage. Particular attention is paid to how memorialising prominent historical figures and events helps shape points of reference and national consciousness.
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