Sevastopol declares emergency amid fuel oil pollution following Russian tanker crash

This was reported by the Russian-installed governor of Sevastopol, Mikhail Razvozhayev.

According to him, "there is no widespread pollution of Sevastopol’s coastline," but traces of fuel oil are being discovered in different locations and are allegedly being cleaned up promptly.

For instance, at the "Zoryany Bereh" beach, fuel oil covered an area of approximately 100 square meters. Oil spots were also found on the "Blakytna Bukhta" and "Nakhimovets" beaches in Orlivka. Furthermore, according to Razvozhayev, the "Sribnyi" beach has been cleaned.

"I am personally heading the operational headquarters on this matter. Today, a regional state of emergency has been declared in Sevastopol," the occupier added.

Background

Two Russian tankers, Volgoneft 212 and Volgoneft 239, carrying fuel oil, broke in half in the Kerch Strait on December 15. After the accident, several dead dolphins washed ashore.

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated that Russian leader Vladimir Putin is doing nothing to prevent the catastrophe in the Kerch Strait.

It was later reported that Russian authorities ordered the sunken Volgoneft tankers in the Kerch Strait to be raised by June 16, 2025.

At the end of 2024, satellites captured an oil spill of approximately 10 square kilometers near the entrance to the Kerch Strait, resulting from the tanker accident.