Moldova prepares case against Russia over Dniester pollution

The Republic of Moldova is documenting the damage caused by the pollution of the Dniester River with petroleum products and is preparing a case that could be presented in international courts to recover damages from the Russian Federation. Minister of Environment Gheorghe Hajder made the statement at a TV show.

According to the official, the authorities’ priority is a complete assessment of the damage caused to the environment and the population, after which international legal actions will be undertaken.


“We need to calculate the damage caused to the Dniester, including the losses suffered by the residents of Bălți, who were left without water for several days, the costs of the interventions and, above all, the impact on the river and biodiversity. It is necessary to have a well-founded case file, after which we can go to international courts to recover the damage,” Hajder said.


The minister noted that the authorities cannot anticipate the outcome of a potential lawsuit, but consider rigorous documentation of all the effects of the pollution essential.


“We do not know how this process will end, but we must do our job very well and have a solid case. We hope that, at some point, the one who is responsible, namely the Russian Federation, will pay these damages,” the minister said.


According to Gheorghe Hajder, the estimated value of the damage currently exceeds 455.5 million lei, but the amount could increase as new data and evidence, including from Ukraine, are collected.


“We document every day everything that is happening on the Dniester. We already have a preliminary assessment of about 455.5 million lei, but this amount will increase once the investigations are completed and new evidence is gathered,” the minister said.


At the same time, the official announced that the source of the oil spill that occurred in March has been stopped and that no new discharges have been recorded.


“We have no new oil slicks. We are only talking about traces that were previously deposited in certain areas and that can still be observed in very small quantities,” Hajder explained.


The pollution of the Dniester was caused in March 2026 by a massive spill of petroleum products in Ukraine’s Vinnytsia region, following bombardments launched by the Russian Federation against Ukraine’s energy and industrial infrastructure. The petroleum substances reached the Dniester and were carried downstream, affecting the stretch of the river on the territory of the Republic of Moldova as well. The authorities in Chișinău then declared a state of alert, installed protective barriers and intervened to limit the effects of the pollution on the ecosystem and water sources.