Oil from sunken tankers has reached occupied Sevastopol, prompting the declaration of a state of emergency in the region.

Heavy fuel oil from sunken Russian tankers has reached the beaches near Sevastopol, prompting the occupiers to declare a state of emergency. The oil products have contaminated the beaches within the city as well as in the villages located to the west and north of Sevastopol in occupied Crimea.

The local occupying authorities report that heavy fuel oil was found on the beach of "Zoryany Bereh" covering an area of approximately 100 sq.m. Oil stains have also been detected on the "Blakytnaya Bukhta" beach and along 760 meters of the coastline of "Nakhimovets" beach, in the villages of Lyubimivka and Orlivka, as well as in Kacha. The authorities assure that there is no large-scale contamination of the coastline, but traces of oil are being found in various locations. A regional state of emergency has been declared.

The first oil stains were recorded in Sevastopol at the entrance to Balaklava Bay. Isolated cases of birds covered in oil have been reported in the areas of Uchkuivka, Laspi, and Omega Bay.

Earlier, an emergency regime was introduced in Kerch, where oil stains were found near Cape Zmiinyi and the Yenikale Fortress. Before that, the majority of the oil had washed ashore along the Russian coastline of the Black Sea.

On December 15, three tankers carrying heavy fuel oil sank in the Kerch Strait during a storm. The cause was the unsuitability of the tankers, which belonged to the river fleet, for maritime transport. Reports indicated that these tankers were built in the 1960s for navigation on the Volga River. Three decades later, they were shortened to make them suitable for maritime travel, where high waves are possible. This modification was done quite simply – they cut out the central part of the tankers and then welded them back together in the middle. During another storm, the weld seam gave way, and the tankers sank.

It is estimated that at least 8,000 tons of heavy fuel oil have entered the sea. This is a serious ecological disaster that will affect various ecosystems in the Black Sea. The Ministry of Environmental Protection and Natural Resources estimates the damages to exceed $14 billion. However, this figure may still rise.