Environmental Crisis in Crimea: Oil Spill Spurs Emergency Response

Authorities in Crimea declared a regional emergency due to oil spilled from tankers, affecting Sevastopol's beaches. Local and regional efforts have been mobilized to clean up the spill, deemed an ecological disaster by President Putin. The Kerch Strait, a strategic shipping route, remains a point of international tension.

Russia-appointed officials in Crimea have declared a regional emergency following the spill of fuel oil, detected on the beaches of Sevastopol, the peninsula's largest city.

The spill originated from two tankers, battered by storms in the Kerch Strait nearly three weeks ago, affecting beaches and prompting urgent cleanup operations.

Authorities, led by regional Gov. Mikhail Razvozhaev, insist there is no widespread pollution, despite continued challenges as cleanup operations, involving nearly 7,000 personnel in Krasnodar, advance steadily.

(With inputs from agencies.)