Fuel oil, which leaked from the sunken Russian tankers Volgoneft-212 and Volgoneft-239 in the Kerch Strait last December, was discovered off the coast of Abkhazia.
This was reported by the Center for Countering Disinformation under the National Security and Defense Council.
Oil spill off the coast of Abkhazia
Thus, in the waters of the Black Sea off the coast of Russian-occupied Abkhazia, an excess of petroleum products was recorded.
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— The accident occurred back in December last year, but the scale of pollution is still growing. Russian authorities failed to localize the environmental disaster in time, allowing fuel oil to spread hundreds of kilometers along the coast, — the Center for Disaster Relief notes.
The remains of the Russian tankers still remain on the seabed, so the fuel oil leak may continue, but Russian authorities are ignoring the problem.
The Center for Disaster Relief notes that Russians have even stopped pretending that they are concerned about eliminating the consequences of the tanker accident: no one is doing any active work, and they are happy to relax on beaches contaminated with fuel oil.
— Russia, through its negligence, is turning its own territory and occupied regions into ecological disaster zones. The Kremlin is once again making it clear that for the sake of its political interests, such as oil trade in circumvention of sanctions, it is ready to risk the environment, life and health of people, — the Center for Political Affairs notes.
Accident of tankers Volgoneft-212 and Volgoneft-239: what is known
The accident involving the tankers Volgoneft-212 and Volgoneft-239 occurred on December 15, 2024. At the time, Russian media reported that the ships were allegedly cut in half by waves.
On December 18, monitoring Telegram channels reported that fuel oil from tankers reached Anapa in the Krasnodar Territory of the Russian Federation. In some places, the fuel oil lay in a continuous layer 30 cm thick.
On December 24, 2024, the Ministry of Natural Resources of Ukraine reported that fuel oil from Russian tankers was gradually moving towards the Sea of Azov. Protected areas of Ukraine, in particular the Opuksky Nature Reserve and the Mys Takil Landscape Park in Crimea, were at risk of contamination.
