Russia has declared a federal state of emergency in response to an ongoing oil spill in the Kerch Strait, Russian Emergency Situations Minister Aleksandr Kurenkov announced on Dec. 26.
The crisis began when two Russian oil tankers, Volgoneft 212 and Volgoneft 239, suffered severe damage during a storm on Dec. 15. Both vessels were reportedly carrying about 4,000 tons of fuel, which began leaking into the Black Sea.
"I propose to classify the emergency situation caused by the tanker wreck in the Kerch Strait as an emergency situation of a federal nature and establish a federal level of response," Kurenkov said on Dec. 26.
Russian state funds will now be directed to the emergency response and cleanup effort.
Some 3,700 tons of low-grade fuel oil have spilled into the Kerch Strait, according to the Russian state news outlet RIA Novosti. Russian scientist Viktor Danilov-Danilyan said in a press conference on Dec. 25 that about 200,000 tons of soil along the Black Sea coast have been contaminated.
The Kerch Strait separates mainland Russia from Russian-occupied Crimea.
Greenpeace Ukraine warned on Dec. 16 that the destruction of the Russian oil tankers could cause "significant" environmental damage.
"Any oil or petrochemical spill in these waters has the potential to be serious," the head of Greenpeace Research Laboratories, Dr. Paul Johnston, said in a statement.
In October, the Kyiv School of Economics Institute warned that Russia's "shadow fleet" of old and poorly insured tankers pose significant environmental risks, as these vessels increase the danger of oil spills.
Russia's full-scale war against Ukraine has caused massive environmental damage, including the destruction of the Nova Kakhovka Dam and subsequent flooding, widespread forest fires, and the devastation of wide stretches of farm land.
Martin Fornusek
(Updated: )
