Overview

• A powerful storm on December 15 caused two Russian oil tankers, Volgoneft-212 and Volgoneft-239, to sink and run aground in the Kerch Strait, spilling over 4,000 tons of oil into the Black Sea.
• Russian authorities estimate that up to 40% of the tankers' 9,200 tons of fuel oil cargo has contaminated the sea and nearby coastlines, with 200,000 tons of sand potentially affected.
• The Krasnodar region has declared a region-wide emergency as oil continues to wash ashore, impacting wildlife and resort beaches in areas like Anapa and Temryuk.
• Scientists and environmental experts criticize the cleanup effort, citing a lack of proper equipment and heavy machinery, leaving volunteers to work with inadequate tools like plastic bags and shovels.
• Experts warn that the ecological damage is severe, with cleanup efforts potentially taking up to a decade due to the complexity of removing oil from both the surface and seabed.