Cleanup of Lake Kyrylivske in Kyiv Continues Following the Shelling
Efforts are underway in Kyiv to clean up the pollution in Lake Kyrylivske, where petroleum products spilled following Russian shelling. Rescue workers have already pumped out a significant amount of fuel and are continuing to contain the spread of the pollution.
Dozens of rescue workers and specialized equipment are on site, and the lake’s ecosystem has suffered serious damage.
Large-scale cleanup efforts are underway in Kyiv to address the pollution of Lake Kyrylivske, where fuel and lubricants were spilled as a result of heavy Russian shelling on the night of July 2. Rescue workers have set up a protection system around the lake to stop the further spread of petroleum products. Specifically, four lines of floating booms with a total length of 350 meters have been installed, as well as 12 sorbent booms that cover the entire 720-meter-wide area of the lake.
Separately, nine skimmer systems have been deployed, which continuously collect oil products from the water’s surface. As of now, approximately 25 cubic meters of fuel and lubricants have already been pumped out of the lake. The State Emergency Service notes that despite the work carried out in the area around the lake, a strong smell of fuel still persists, forcing rescue workers to operate under difficult conditions every day.
“Despite this, a persistent odor of fuel and lubricants is still present in the area around the lake, and rescue workers are operating in these conditions every day,” the statement reads. Experts are also documenting serious consequences for the ecosystem. The pollution has led to the death of fish, birds, frogs, insects, and other inhabitants of the lake and the surrounding area. Seventeen pieces of equipment and about 60 rescue workers have been deployed to address the aftermath; they continue to work on cleaning up and stabilizing the situation at the lake, according to the State Emergency Service of Ukraine.
Russian strikes on gas stations and oil depots are increasingly targeting Ukraine’s fuel infrastructure. Against this backdrop, Volodymyr Poperechnyuk, co-founder of “Nova Poshta,” proposed revoking licenses for retail fuel sales in order to quickly establish more refueling stations and reduce risks to logistics.
