Russian bombardment of Azovstal may have caused toxic spill: govt
Lviv, Ukraine, May 19 (EFE).- The continuous Russian bombardment of the Azovstal iron and steel facilities in Mariupol, in southern Ukraine, could have caused a leak of hydrogen sulfide into the Sea of Azov, a highly polluting substance, the city’s council said.
The council said on its Telegram channel that the leak could even threaten the extinction of the fauna and flora of the Azov waters, the Interfax-Ukraine agency reported.
“The bombing of Azovstal could have damaged a technical structure that contains tens of thousands of tons of a concentrated solution of hydrogen sulfide,” the city council said in its message.
“A leak of this liquid will completely kill the flora and fauna of the Azov Sea. In addition, these dangerous substances can reach the Black and Mediterranean seas,” the municipal council said.
Mariupol Mayor Vadym Boichenko announced the need for the immediate entry of international and United Nations experts into the steelworks facilities to study the situation and prevent an environmental disaster of global characteristics.
The port city of Mariupol has suffered the most intense bombing since the Russian invasion began on Feb. 24, and has been practically destroyed, while the few remaining citizens face a serious humanitarian crisis due to the scarcity of water. drinking and food.
The facilities of the Azov steelworks, near the city, were the last Ukrainian stronghold conquered by the Russians, who managed to control the area just two days ago and stop the soldiers who were still resisting in them.
The information provided periodically by the Mariupol city council, whose authority has already been replaced by a new administration imposed by the Russians, cannot be verified by independent sources.
The Kyiv government denounced this weekend that the steel mill had been bombarded by Russian military forces with white phosphorus, a weapon prohibited by the Geneva Convention. EFE
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