An oil spill caused by two damaged tankers in the Kerch Strait earlier this month may have polluted up to 200,000 tonnes of soil, according to Russian Minister of Natural Resources Alexander Kozlov. The incident has been labeled an "ecological disaster" by President Vladimir Putin.

The oil spill occurred on December 15 when two Russian tankers, the Volgoneft-212 and Volgoneft-239, were struck by a storm in the Kerch Strait. One vessel sank, while the other ran aground. The strait separates southern Russia from Crimea, which Russia annexed in 2014.

The tankers were carrying 9,200 tonnes of fuel oil, and Russian authorities estimate that around 40 percent of the cargo may have spilled into the sea.

Environmental Impact
The spill has severely impacted the region's coastline, with fuel oil found along dozens of kilometers of beach. The seaside resort town of Anapa has been hit particularly hard, along with the port city of Kerch in Crimea, where patches of fuel oil have washed ashore.

Volunteers, clad in white protective suits, have been working to clean up the beaches, but the task remains challenging. "Volunteers said that almost everything had been cleaned up, but waves brought more fuel oil overnight," regional governor Veniamin Kondratyev said.

The spill has also affected wildlife. Images released by local authorities show oil-covered birds being treated by volunteers. Additionally, the Delpha Center, a specialized institution focused on dolphin conservation in the Black Sea, reported that up to ten dolphins may have died as a result of the spill, though further tests are needed to confirm the cause of death.

Government Response
During a meeting broadcast by the Zvezda channel on Telegram, Kozlov stated that the volume of polluted soil could reach 200,000 tonnes. Cleanup efforts are ongoing, but the scale of contamination has made the situation "extremely alarming," according to the Delpha Center.

The incident highlights the vulnerability of the Black Sea region to environmental disasters, with experts calling for enhanced measures to prevent similar events in the future.