Quotable notes

"If we fail to take countermeasures, Tuzla Island may completely disappear from the surface of the earth or of the sea. ... The current [in the Kerch Strait] has been washing away a part of the island every day. When earlier the speed of the current in the area was 2 knots, now it stands at 4 to 6 knots, that is, earlier it was 4 to 5 kilometers per hour, now is 9 to 10 kilometers per hour. Apart from this, the [Russian] dam has changed the direction of the current, and it is now striking directly into Tuzla Island. I don't want to say this was planned in advance, but the course of developments is fairly dangerous for Tuzla."

- Ukrainian lawmaker Ihor Ostash on November 17, commenting on the fact that the sea has eaten away some 100 meters of Tuzla Island in the past two weeks; as reported by RFE/RL's Ukrainian Service.

Copyright © The Ukrainian Weekly, December 21, 2003, No. 51, Vol. LXXI

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