Officials in Crimea, appointed by Russia, declared an emergency on Saturday following the discovery of oil on the shores of Sevastopol, the largest city in the region.
This contamination originated from two tankers that suffered damage due to storms nearly three weeks ago in the Kerch Strait, which is situated about 250 kilometers (155 miles) from Sevastopol, located in the southwest part of the peninsula.
Mikhail Razvozhaev, the regional governor, announced the emergency measures via Telegram, stating, “A regional emergency regime has been declared in Sevastopol today.”
Local authorities, along with volunteers, worked rapidly to address the issue after oil was discovered on four beaches in the area, which Razvozhaev indicated had been “promptly eliminated.”
He emphasized that “there is no mass pollution of the coastline in Sevastopol,” attempting to reassure residents about the state of the beaches.
This declaration came in the backdrop of a wider regional emergency that was previously announced in Russia’s Krasnodar region when the fuel oil continued to wash ashore ten days after the incidents that led to the spill, which occurred on December 15 when one tanker ran aground and another was left damaged and adrift.
Governor Veniamin Kondratyev of Krasnodar reported that as of Saturday, nearly 7,000 personnel were still engaged in cleanup operations.
Since the spill, over 96,000 tons of tainted sand and soil have been cleared from the shoreline, according to his updates on Telegram.
Estimates from December 23 suggested that as much as 200,000 tons could be impacted by mazut, a type of heavy low-quality oil.
Russian President Vladimir Putin referred to the incident as an “ecological disaster,” underscoring the severity of the situation.
The Kerch Strait, which divides the Crimea Peninsula from Krasnodar, is essential for international shipping, enabling passage between the Sea of Azov and the Black Sea.
The area has been a focal point of conflict between Russia and Ukraine since Moscow’s annexation of Crimea in 2014, with Ukraine bringing a case against Russia to the Permanent Court of Arbitration in 2016 for alleged attempts to seize control of the region unlawfully.
Additionally, the strait was closed by Russia for several months in 2021, raising tensions further.
Furthermore, Mykhailo Podolyak, an advisor to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, described the oil spill as a “large-scale environmental disaster” and urged for more sanctions on Russian tankers to address the ongoing crisis.
