Authorities estimate the tankers were carrying 9,200 tons of fuel oil, of which approximately 40% potentially leaked into the sea. Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov described the situation as "truly critical.

Authorities in Russia's southern Krasnodar region on Wednesday declared a region-wide emergency, saying that oil was still washing up on the coastline 10 days after two ageing tankers ran into trouble.

Russia declared a federal emergency after a Black Sea oil spill on December 27, 2024, caused by a tanker splitting during a storm. Environmental concerns prompt urgent cleanup efforts.

The Russian government made the declaration after a number of its tankers were sank in the body of water between itself, Ukraine, Turkey and Romania.

Volunteers helping to clean up a major oil spill along Russia's Black Sea coast appealed in a video released on Monday for President Vladimir Putin to urgently send federal aid, saying that they and local authorities were overwhelmed.

One tanker sank and another ran aground on December 15 in the Kerch Strait between Russia and the annexed Crimean peninsula.

Russian ruler Vladimir Putin has introduced a federal state of emergency due to the fuel oil spill following the 15 December tanker accident in the Kerch Strait. Source: Latvia-based Russian media outlet Meduza;

Russia Wednesday expanded an operation to clean up thousands of tonnes of oil that spilt into the sea and contaminated 50 kilometers of beaches after tanker ships were wrecked in a storm.

Hundreds of volunteers and emergency workers continued to clean the coastline of Russia’s southern Krasnodar region Wednesday after two Russian ships spilled around 3,700 tons (3,300 tonnes) of low-grade fuel oil into the Kerch Strait.

Some 3,700 tons of low-grade fuel oil have spilled into the Black Sea since two Russian oil tankers were severely damaged in a storm on Dec. 15.