Behind the Black Wave

Due to military actions, the sea has suffered a severe blow, and marine mammals — bottlenose dolphins, common dolphins, and harbour porpoises — have been affected the most. Explosions, sea mines, fuel oil spills, and especially military sonars destroy life underwater. Since the beginning of the full-scale invasion, about 60,000 dolphins have died.

The Russian fleet uses high-frequency hydroacoustic sonars that produce sound waves dozens of times louder than normal ocean noise. For dolphins this means losing the ability to navigate, communicate, hunt, and find food. Disoriented animals often wash ashore. Dolphin populations are declining even in regions far from the frontline.

According to conservationists, population recovery may take decades — and only if hostilities cease immediately and the waters are cleared. Their disappearance will disrupt the food chain, increase diseases among marine animals, and worsen the overall condition of the Black Sea, affecting both biodiversity and people who depend on its resources.

The first dead dolphin in Ukraine was found on March 27, 2022 — the 32nd day of the full-scale war. There were no visible injuries on its body. Studies conducted in foreign laboratories confirmed death caused by sonar exposure. Today, every case of marine mammal death is recorded and submitted to the prosecutor’s office under Article 441 — “Ecocide.”

War in the Black Sea is a death that cannot be heard. Sonars cut through the water like blades, oil slicks suffocate it. The black wave rolls on — and the sea will never be the same again.

Valentyna Polishchuk (1998) is a Ukrainian documentary and reportage photographer. She lives and works in Kyiv. She has worked in journalism since 2021. She is a photo editor and photographer for the media outlet The Ukrainians and the literary reportage and documentary photography magazine Reporters.

Her work focuses on documentary and socially engaged photography. At the center of her attention are individuals during historical turning points, the everyday life of society and the environment during the full-scale war, as well as experiences of loss, military service and volunteer work.