Russian oil spill may reach Ukrainian shores in Odesa, Mykolaiv — official

Spokesperson of the Ukrainian Navy, Dmytro Pletenchuk, reported this, according to RBC-Ukraine.

"The current works in such a way that, most likely, it (oil from Russian tankers) could reach our Odesa and Mykolaiv shores. There is such a possibility, of course," Pletenchuk noted.

He emphasized that Ukraine does not interfere with civilian ships in military terms, so the Russians continue to use the Kerch Strait for their purposes.

"We do not impact civilian shipping in terms of direct fire because Ukraine is a civilized country. Therefore, they continue to transfer cargo; their options are limited. They fully understand that without oil exports and revenue, it will be even harder for them to wage this war," the spokesperson added.

Two Russian oil tankers sank in the Black Sea's Kerch Strait

On December 15, two Russian tankers, Volgoneft-212 and Volgoneft-239, carrying fuel oil, broke in half in the Kerch Strait.

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated that Russian leader Vladimir Putin has done nothing to prevent the Kerch Strait disaster.

Later, it was announced that Russian authorities ordered the sunken Volgoneft tankers to be recovered by June 16, 2025.

On December 31, 2024, a satellite detected a 10-square-kilometer oil spill near the Kerch Strait caused by a Russian tanker accident.

On December 28, the so-called authorities of temporarily occupied Crimea declared a regional emergency due to an oil spill in the Black Sea.