In mid-August, against a backdrop of war, the world learned that the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv, and its 4 million inhabitants were threatened by serious pollution affecting the Dysna River, via its tributary, the Seym, which comes from Russia. The intervention of the authorities, the treatment of the water, the collection of 43 tonnes of dead fish and the provision of information to communities along the waterways prevented the poisoning of local residents and the drinking water network. On September 10, Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal assured the public that the contamination was organic and not chemical. He proceeded to state, without elaboration, that Russia was to blame for the disaster.
Le Monde conducted its own investigation into this matter, visiting villages affected by this possible ecocide, consulting the experts called in to deal with the pollution and accessing confidential reports written by scientists on this disaster, whose low profile owes much to the noise of the ongoing conflict. It emerged that while the exact origin of the products spilled into the Seym River has been identified, the cause of the spill remains unknown. Several hypotheses have been put forward: an intentional act by Russian soldiers or civilians, a deliberate or collateral consequence of an armed operation carried out by Russia or Ukraine, or, finally, simply an accident.
At the end of October, everything seemed normal on the banks of the Seym, at the foot of the village of Baturyn, 120 kilometers east of Chernihiv in the north of the country. Visitors were greeted by a certain calm and gentleness. Clear water flowed peacefully under a suspended footbridge linking the two banks. It has been back to normal since the beginning of the month. The only visible signs of the recent contamination were a few black marks on the bottom, along the banks, and oily residues floating on the surface. "It's deceptive," corrected Leonid Dusha, 62, a mayor for the past 10 years. "The Seym is dead. There are no fish left, no trace of life. The experts have told us that it will take at least 10 years to return to its former state."
From the top of a tower in the fortified enclosure overlooking this large village of 2,500 inhabitants, you can normally see the Seym meandering up towards the Russian border. It was from here, on the evening of August 25, that a foul stench swept through the whole town, followed by charcoal-black water in which all forms of life had disappeared. The pollution had been detected on August 14 in Manuhivka, the first Ukrainian village beyond the Russian border. "The mayors alerted me beforehand, and I was able to warn the population," said Dusha.
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