The fuel spilled into the Black Sea by two Russian tankers last month could reach Ukraine’s southern coast in the Mykolaiv and Odesa oblasts, Navy spokesperson Dmytro Pletenchuk said on air on Jan. 9.

Volgoneft 212 and Volgoneft 239 suffered severe damage in the Kerch Strait during a storm on Dec. 15, 2024. Each vessel reportedly carried 4,000 tons of fuel, which began leaking into the Black Sea.

“The current direction indicates that, most likely, the oil fuel can reach our Odesa and Mykolaiv oblasts' coasts,” Pletenchuk said on national television.

Greenpeace Ukraine warned the spill may cause “significant” environmental damage and foul the shoreline if the fuel is driven ashore.

The spokesperson noted that Russian civilian vessels continue to sail through the Kerch Strait since “without oil exports and subsequent profits, it will be even more difficult for them to wage this war."

Days after the spill, the oil fuel washed ashore in Russia’s Krasnodar Krai and the Russian-occupied Crimea. Krasnodar Krai residents shared footage of birds injured by the spill and unable to fly.

Russia’s full-scale war against Ukraine has caused massive environmental damage, including the destruction of the Nova Kakhovka Dam and subsequent flooding, widespread forest fires, and the devastation of wide stretches of farmland.

In October 2024, the Kyiv School of Economics Institute warned that Russia’s “shadow fleet” of old and poorly insured tankers poses significant environmental risks, as these often uninsured and aging vessels increase the danger of oil spills.

How climate change threatens Christmas traditions in Ukrainian Hutsul region

IVANO-FRANKIVSK OBLAST — Father Vasyl Diychuk, 41, shows the spot near the river where his village used to build an ice town on Epiphany, celebrated in January. A line of parked cars would stretch for several kilometers — people from all over Ukraine and abroad came to Sokolivka to see the chapels,

The Kyiv IndependentVitalii Poberezhnyi

Germany imported at least 68.6 tons of uranium from Russia in 2024, according to data from the Lower Saxony Ministry of Environment, Energy, and Climate Protection, as reported by Spiegel. This marks a 70% increase in imports of this resource compared to 2023.

The uranium suppliers were two subsidiaries of the Russian state corporation Rosatom. The material, slated for use in nuclear power plants, was delivered to the Advanced Nuclear Fuels (ANF) plant in Lingen, which manufactures fuel assemblies. ANF is a subsidiary of Framatome, a French manufacturer of nuclear plant equipment. Notably, Germany has phased out nuclear energy.

Despite the EU sanctions against Moscow following Russia's invasion of Ukraine, uranium imports from Russia have not been affected. The EU "does not impose an embargo on the import or export of nuclear fuel for peaceful purposes," explained the federal ministry responsible for the environment, nature conservation, nuclear safety, and consumer protection, confirming the shipments.

ANF has submitted an application to the Lower Saxony authorities to operate a new production line. The plant aims to produce fuel assemblies for Russian-type water-water reactors (VVER), used in five EU countries. The new fuel assemblies are to be manufactured under a license from the Russian company TVEL, a Rosatom subsidiary. By late November 2024, Framatome had acknowledged the necessity of importing not only uranium but also other components required for producing fuel assemblies from Russia.

A decision on the application is still pending, and federal authorities have not specified a timeline for completing the mandatory review. In 2023, German authorities had warned that such cooperation might threaten the country's security, particularly in the event of "immediate disruptive intervention" at the facility.

In light of Russia's invasion of Ukraine, the EU has prioritized reducing energy dependency on Russia. Consequently, Framatome's plans have sparked outrage among environmentalists and civil rights activists.

U.S. President-elect Donald Trump is determined to confront China economically and strategically. This is a difficult problem, because so many goods purchased in the United States have supply chains with deep roots in the Chinese manufacturing base.If new U.S. tariffs cause the Chinese renminbi to depreciate, as seems likely, Chinese products will remain competitive, at least in the short run; and if the cost of Chinese imported goods in the U.S. actually rises, this will squeeze lower-income Americans and undermine the competitiveness of American manufacturers that currently use imported components. The proposed tariffs and associated bluster may induce global companies to shift manufacturing from China to Vietnam, Mexico, and other lower-wage countries, but will not bring many good jobs back to the U.S. But Trump could score a quick and impressive win against China: by turning Russia entirely out of Ukraine and restoring the pre-invasion borders.

Source : kyivindependent.com/opinion-t…

The environmental community proposes to plan the country’s post-war reconstruction on the basis of energy independence and climate security and to intensify the harmonization of national legislation w Source : www.youtube.com/watch