Red sludge from the MGZ once again "attacked" nearby villages from the air

During the day on Sunday, April 26, 2026, around 16:00 a storm rose in the Mykolaiv region that lifted into the air a thick red dust from the sludge field of the Mykolaiv Alumina Plant (MGZ). As a result, villages located in the Mykolaiv district (in particular, Lymany), as well as dacha cooperatives, were covered with a “bloody veil”.

At the beginning of 2026 we wrote:
MGZ is running out of money for maintenance of sludge fields –
a new environmental threat?

Residents ask: “And where are those screw-propelled vehicles?”

Previously reported:
Kim announced the transfer of special vehicles to MGZ to combat dust from the sludge

The problem of sludge fields at MGZ is not new. Over 41 years of operation of the plant, more than 47 million tonnes of toxic sludge have accumulated on an area of about 400 hectares. The sludge dams pose a constant threat due to possible leaks and dusting.

In May 2023 the head of the Mykolaiv Regional Military Administration (Vitaliy Kim) warned that after nationalization the plant does not have sufficient funding for full maintenance of the sludge storage facilities:

“I cannot assure that the sludge will not become airborne,” he admitted, commenting on the risks of dusting in the summer.

In July of the same year, residents of the villages Lymany and Halytsynove complained about strong plumes of dust from sludge field No. 2 that were carried by the wind for tens of kilometers.

Earlier we wrote:

• An environmental bomb near Mykolaiv – no money, but the director of MGZ declared nearly 14 million in salary
• The State Property Fund is looking for a buyer for the Mykolaiv Alumina Plant who is not afraid of war
• While MGZ’s sludge fields are without water and without money, Vitaliy Kim talks about the plant’s future
• A delayed-action environmental “bomb”: what are the chances for the Mykolaiv Alumina Plant after nationalization
• The environmental situation at MGZ is complex, MGZ workers manually maintain the sludge storages

Read also:

• Residents of villages near the MGZ sludge storage drink dangerous water, – the State Service for Food Safety and Consumer Protection
• The Supreme Court sided with environmentalists in the MGZ case
• Eco-bomb near Mykolaiv: the threat from MGZ sludge storages requires state intervention – an environmentalist