Local authorities and volunteers in the region worked together to promptly eliminate oil found on four beaches in Sevastopol, the largest city in the occupied Crimea. This emergency was declared after fuel oil spilled from two tankers nearly three weeks ago in the Kerch Strait. Russian President Vladimir Putin has labeled the oil spill as an “ecological disaster.”
Both the region of Sevastopol and the southern Krasnodar region have declared emergencies due to the oil spill. In Krasnodar, over 7,000 people were still working to clean up the spill, with almost 96,000 tons of contaminated sand and soil removed along the shoreline. The Ministry estimated that up to 200,000 tons of mazut, a heavy, low-quality oil product, may have been contaminated overall. Russian authorities are continuing to work on cleaning up the spill.
The Kerch Strait, which is an important global shipping route that separates Russia-occupied Crimea from the Krasnodar region, has been a point of conflict between Russia and Ukraine since Moscow annexed the peninsula in 2014. In 2016, Ukraine took Russia to the Permanent Court of Arbitration, accusing it of illegally trying to seize control of the area. Ukrainian officials have labeled the oil spill as a “large-scale environmental disaster” and called for additional sanctions on Russian tankers.
Despite the oil spill, the regional governor Mikhail Razvozhaev emphasized that there was no mass pollution of the coastline in Sevastopol. He stated that the oil found on the beaches was promptly eliminated by local authorities working in conjunction with volunteers. However, the situation in the region remains concerning, with environmental officials and volunteers continuing clean-up efforts to mitigate the impact of the spill on the coastal ecosystem.
Authorities in the Krasnodar region have been particularly focused on cleaning up the oil spill, with Governor Veniamin Kondratyev reporting that efforts have resulted in the removal of significant amounts of contaminated sand and soil along the shoreline. The spill, which resulted from two tankers in the Kerch Strait, has been a major concern for environmental officials, with ongoing efforts to prevent further pollution and minimize the impact on local marine life.
Russian President Putin’s acknowledgment of the oil spill as an “ecological disaster” underscores the seriousness of the situation in the region. The spill has not only raised environmental concerns but has also underscored the ongoing tensions between Russia and Ukraine, particularly in the Kerch Strait, which has been a point of conflict since the annexation of Crimea. The international community, including Ukrainian officials, has called for action to address the spill and prevent future incidents that could result in further environmental damage.
