An emergency task force has been dispatched to Russia's southern Krasnodar region to address a persistent oil spill in the Kerch Strait. The spill originated from two tankers that were damaged during a storm and has been spreading for over a month.
Russian President Vladimir Putin recently urged authorities to intensify their response to what he described as 'one of the most serious environmental challenges' the country has faced in recent years. The task force, led by Emergency Situations Minister Alexander Kurenkov, is focusing its efforts near the port of Taman in the Krasnodar region, where fuel oil continues to leak into the sea from the damaged Volgoneft-239 tanker.
Efforts are underway to pump out the remaining oil from the tanker's stern, with over 155,000 tons of contaminated sand and soil already collected since the initial spill occurred. The spill has affected areas in both the Krasnodar region and the Russia-occupied Crimean Peninsula, with reports of mazut reaching as far as the Berdyansk Spit, approximately 145 kilometers north of the Kerch Strait.
The spill has prompted regional emergencies to be declared in both Crimea and the Krasnodar region, underscoring the severity of the situation. The Kerch Strait, a crucial shipping route connecting the Sea of Azov to the Black Sea, has been a point of contention between Russia and Ukraine since the annexation of Crimea in 2014.
Ukraine has criticized Russia's response to the spill, accusing Moscow of neglecting the issue until its consequences became too significant to ignore. The incident has reignited tensions between the two countries, with calls for additional sanctions on Russian tankers being made by Ukrainian officials.
The ongoing oil spill in the Kerch Strait serves as a stark reminder of the environmental risks associated with maritime activities in the region and highlights the need for coordinated international efforts to address such disasters effectively.
