On January 24, an emergency state was declared by Russia Sevastopol due to the effects of fuel leakage After the Russian tanker crash in the Kerchen Strait, the Russian Ministry of Emergency reported. Meanwhile, fuel oil stains reached the Ode region in Ukraine.
The introduction of a national emergency state was announced at a gathering of the commission on the elimination of the effects of the oil spill. “At the request of the politician of the Russian Federation entity Mikhail Razwojayev, the commission declared the city a national state of emergency caused by the sinking of the tanker in the Kerchen Strait, which had already affected the territories of the Krasnodar territory and the Republic of Crimea,” declared the Ministry of Emergency.
On 3 January Sevastopol was placed under a regional emergency state. Following the change of status, according to the Agency, it will be possible to "involve forces and resources of national authorities and state corporations, as well as providing financial assistance from the government fund." At the same time, the Russian-designated head of Sevastopol Mikhail Razwojayev said that the situation in the city is “stable”. He added that no crucial emissions of fuel oil were recorded on the coast.
Previously, Aleksander Kozlov, Russian Minister of Natural Resources, said during Vladimir Putin's gathering with the government that the purification of emissions from the beaches of the Krasnodar region — about 280 hectares — will last at least until May 2026. "We will solve the financing issue and start work in the 4th fourth of the year and end it in May 2026. It's just out of season. [...] Until next season, the beach should be restored.”
According to the Minister, the government allocated 1.5 billion rubles (about PLN 61 million) to the Krasnodar region for “reimbursement of expenditure”. He added that 840,000 cubic metres of quartz sand — 4 times as much as was removed — would be brought to the affected beaches. Kozlov besides said that oil contamination on the beaches to be eliminated by the summertime of 2025.
Meanwhile, spilled fuel oil has already reached the coasts of the Ode region. According to Ivan Rusew, manager of the Tuzłowski Limany National Park investigation department, fuel was brought to shore after the storm. The emissions were recorded on a sandy embankment close the recreational area ‘Katranka’, close the Danube Biosphere Reserve and Tuzłowski Limany National Park.
Rusew believes it is fuel oil spilled as a consequence of the disaster of Russian tankers in the Kerchen Strait. Discovered petroleum products will be sent to the expert. He besides said a bird was found on the shore contaminated with fuel.
Last December Volgonieft-212 and Volgonieft-239 tankers crashed in the Kerchen Strait due to a storm. They carried over 9,000 tons of fuel oil. According to the Ministry of Natural Resources, about 4,000 tonnes leaked to the Black Sea and hit the coasts of the Krasnodar Country and Crimea. The remainder went down with the tankers. The Russian Academy of Sciences has called the spill "the largest ecological disaster" in the country since the beginning of the 21st century.
