Janice R. Andrews
Russia has deployed a special task force to address the worsening oil spill in the Kerch Strait, which has been contaminating waters for over a month. The disaster, which began when storms damaged two tankers, has prompted direct intervention from President Vladimir Putin, who characterized it as a major environmental emergency requiring immediate attention.
The situation has grown particularly dire near Taman port in the Krasnodar region, according to Emergency Situations Minister Alexander Kurenkov, who is heading the response effort. Teams are working to extract remaining fuel from the damaged Volgoneft-239 tanker to prevent additional leakage.
The environmental impact has expanded across borders, with heavy oil products now detected along Ukraine’s coastline. Officials in the partially Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia region have confirmed contamination spanning 14.5 kilometers of the Berdyansk Spit, located 145 kilometers from the spill’s origin. The coastal city of Sevastopol in Crimea has also declared an emergency as oil reaches its shores.
Ukrainian officials have sharply criticized Russia’s handling of the crisis. Foreign Ministry spokesperson Heorhii Tykhyi condemned what he described as Russia’s delayed response, while presidential adviser Mykhailo Podolyak has advocated for enhanced sanctions against Russian tankers. The incident has heightened existing tensions surrounding the Kerch Strait, a strategically significant waterway that has been contested since Russia’s 2014 annexation of Crimea.
