Russia’s massive mazut spills: What’s happening?

Military analyst and former Ukrainian defense minister adviser, Oleksii Kopytko, sarcastically commented on his Telegram channel that Russia has reached new "ecological heights."

“First, videos surfaced showing efforts to contain the mazut spill in Russia’s Anapa, where a 'repeated release' of oil products was reported along the shore. The authorities continue to downplay the situation, claiming there's 'no threat to the holiday season.'

Second, a state of emergency was declared in Sevastopol in Crimea as the oil spill reached the city. The occupation authorities are organizing volunteers to clean up the coastline. Environmentalists have stated that this is the world's first large-scale accident involving M100-grade heavy fuel oil. Once it solidifies, it sinks to the bottom or floats within the water column, making it nearly impossible to recover. The mazut will likely wash ashore, poisoning marine life.

In a concerning development, damaged tankers are believed to contain over 6,000 tons of mazut - 2.5 times the amount officially reported to have leaked into the sea - along with diesel fuel. If there are more leaks, the consequences could be catastrophic.

On January 3, at least a ton of mazut spilled from the tanker Sakhalin Island in Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky,” the military analyst stated.

• On Sunday, December 15, two Russian oil tankers carrying mazut, a low-quality heavy fuel oil, were sinking in the Kerch Strait in the Black Sea.