Summary

An oil spill from two aging Russian tankers, Volgoneft-212 and Volgoneft-239, has reached the beaches of annexed Crimea, sparking an ecological crisis.

The vessels, carrying 9,200 tons of heavy fuel oil, were damaged in a storm, spilling their load.

Russian authorities and over 10,000 volunteers are working to clean up, with 73,000 tons of oil-contaminated sand removed so far.

Ukraine blamed Russia’s use of a “shadow fleet” of outdated, uninsured tankers circumventing sanctions, warning of further disasters.