This is according to an Ukrinform correspondent.

The examination was conducted by Pavlo Goldin, Doctor of Biological Sciences and professor at the I. I. Schmalhausen Institute of Zoology of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine; Karina Vyshniakova, Oead of the Marine Vertebrate Animals Laboratory at the Ukrainian Scientific Center of Ecology of the Sea; and Marina Skrypka, a Professor at Odesa State Agrarian University.

Goldin explained that not all dolphin carcasses are suitable for autopsy. Researchers select animals that are found in time and whose bodies are sufficiently preserved for examination.

"Today we are conducting an autopsy of a male mammal. It is quite an adult animal, and the body shows signs of pathology – the animal was severely weakened. Already at the beginning of the examination, we saw signs of a fungal infection. There are likely signs of other infections, as well as injuries and damage. It is clear that the animal was very ill and died from a likely unusual cause," Goldin said.

The collected biological material will be sent to the Schmalhausen Institute of Zoology of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine for further research.

The scientist noted that, in determining the causes of cetacean deaths, researchers must distinguish between events that occurred during different years of the war. In particular, he said dolphins may have been negatively affected by the destruction of the Kakhovka Hydroelectric Power Plant in 2023, the tanker disaster in the Kerch Strait in 2024, and other events.

"Every year and every season has its own characteristics and its own factors that affect dolphins in different ways. Of course, every animal has its own individual life and death history. Therefore, we cannot put them all in one line over five years and say that they were all most likely killed by the war. However, the war is certainly having a very harmful impact on dolphins," Goldin explained.

The professor noted that a surge in cetacean deaths was recorded in 2022. The years 2022–2025 were relatively "quiet," while in 2026 the sea once again began washing up large numbers of dead marine mammals.

According to the scientist, since the beginning of Russia's full-scale invasion, only a limited number of cetacean carcasses have been examined.

"Several animals from Ukraine, several from Bulgaria, and several from Türkiye have been studied. The results have not yet been published, although they are significant. Some of them have been handed over to our specialized prosecutor's office in Odesa," Goldin said.

He added that the findings from studies of two cetaceans discovered on Ukraine's Black Sea coast are "not trivial" and, after discussion within the scientific community, "deserve to be made public." Regarding dolphins that died in 2026, Goldin said that conclusions would not be available soon and that the process could take years.

Read also:In Odesa region, sea washes another 15 dead cetaceans ashore at national park

According to Volodymyr Frantsevych, Head of the Specialized Environmental Prosecutor's Office of the Odesa Regional Prosecutor's Office, law enforcement authorities have already opened criminal proceedings under Article 441 of Ukraine's Criminal Code (ecocide) over dolphin deaths in 2022. Investigators are examining the possibility that the deaths of cetaceans were caused by the impact of hydroacoustic systems and sonars installed on Russian Navy warships.

"Samples from the animals that died in 2022 were sent to foreign institutions in Padua and Hanover, and relevant research results have been obtained. In spring 2022, based on specialists' conclusions, criminal proceedings were launched over ecocide. We are currently awaiting another conclusion regarding 2022. After that, a forensic examination will be conducted at the Bokarius Institute," Frantsevych said.

He added that there has been "positive progress" in establishing the causes of cetacean deaths in 2022 and that "the expert examination will confirm everything." Frantsevych emphasized that not every dolphin death constitutes a criminal offense.

As reported, according to environmentalist Ivan Rusev, a staff member of Tuzlivski Lymany National Nature Park, the war has killed more than 100,000 Black Sea cetaceans over the past 4.5 years. In just the last two months, 79 dead mammals have been found on the park's coastline.