Over the past week, specialists from the Azov Fisheries Protection Patrol calculated the damages caused to Ukraine’s fisheries sector as a result of the illegal harvest of aquatic biological resources (horse mackerel), totaling 17,000,000 UAH. These damages were assessed based on violations detected in the third quarter of 2025.
Throughout 2026, specialists from the Azov Fisheries Protection Patrol calculated damages totaling 2,640,432,302.40 UAH based on violations of legislation regarding the protection of aquatic biological resources detected in the second and third quarters of 2025.
Despite the temporary occupation of a significant portion of the territories within the Azov Fisheries Protection Patrol’s area of operation and the inability to carry out full-scale fisheries protection measures in the Azov Sea basin, the Administration did not cease performing its functions. Under the challenging conditions of martial law, the primary focus of its activities has been documenting the damage inflicted on Ukraine’s fisheries sector as a result of the Russian Federation’s armed aggression.
Specialists from the Azov Fisheries Protection Patrol continuously monitor open-source information, analyze satellite imagery, official reports, and photo and video materials; they systematize the data obtained, calculate the damage inflicted, and compile a body of evidence for law enforcement agencies. It is precisely this painstaking analytical work that makes it possible to document the illegal harvesting of aquatic biological resources by the occupying forces of the Russian Federation and to determine the extent of the losses incurred by the state.
As part of the ongoing criminal investigation, the Azov Fisheries Protection Patrol continues to calculate the damages caused by the illegal harvesting of aquatic biological resources. During the reporting period, another assessment was conducted of the damages caused by illegal fishing in the Azov Sea basin.
All collected materials and calculations are forwarded to law enforcement agencies and used in criminal proceedings as evidence of crimes committed by the aggressor state against Ukraine’s natural resources.
The Azov Fisheries Protection Patrol will continue to carry out this important state mission: monitoring the state of the Azov Sea’s aquatic biological resources, documenting instances of illegal fishing, calculating damages, and providing appropriate informational and analytical support to law enforcement agencies in order to hold the perpetrators accountable and recover damages caused to Ukraine’s fisheries sector.