• An emergency task force has been deployed in Russia's Krasnodar region due to an extensive oil spill in the Kerch Strait.
• Russian President Putin labeled the situation as "one of the most serious environmental challenges" faced in years.
• Over 155,000 tons of contaminated sand and soil have been collected from the spill area.
• The Ryazan region's contaminated mazut has spread to northern shores, causing regional emergencies.
• Ukraine's officials accuse Russia of delaying effective responses to the environmental disaster.

In response to the ongoing oil spill in the Kerch Strait, which has been spreading for a month, an emergency task force has been assembled in Russia’s southern Krasnodar region. Originally detected after two tankers were damaged during a storm, the oil spill has prompted a call to action from Russian President Vladimir Putin, who described the incident as “one of the most serious environmental challenges we have faced in recent years” according to reports from AP News and CNN.

The task force, which includes Emergency Situations Minister Alexander Kurenkov, is specifically focused on managing the crisis near the port of Taman, where ongoing leaks have been noted from the Volgoneft-239 tanker. Kurenkov stated, “the most difficult situation” continues to unfold as efforts to pump the remaining oil from the tanker’s stern are underway. The Russian Emergencies Ministry confirmed that over 155,000 tons of contaminated sand and soil have been collected since the oil started leaking due to the storm four weeks ago.

Additionally, the Russian-installed authorities in Ukraine's partially occupied Zaporizhzhia region report that the mazut, a low-quality oil product, has now reached the Berdyansk Spit, extending approximately 145 kilometers (90 miles) north of the Kerch Strait, contaminating a stretch of about 14.5 kilometers (9 miles) as noted by Moscow-installed Governor Yevgeny Balitsky.

Last weekend, officials from Moscow-occupied Crimea declared a regional emergency following the detection of oil on the shores of Sevastopol, located roughly 250 kilometers (155 miles) from the Kerch Strait. In the wake of Putin's call for rapid action, Ukraine's Foreign Ministry spokesman Heorhii Tykhyi criticized Russia for only showing concern “after the scale of the disaster became too obvious to conceal its terrible consequences.” This latest report underscores the precarious state of environmental management, with Tykhyi asserting that Russia's approach reveals “international irresponsibility.”

The Kerch Strait remains a crucial global shipping route, providing vital access from the inland Sea of Azov to the Black Sea, and has historically served as a hotspot of conflict between Russia and Ukraine since the annexation of Crimea in 2014. The gravity of the current environmental disaster has led Ukrainian officials, including Mykhailo Podolyak, an adviser to President Zelensky, to demand heightened sanctions on Russian tankers due to ongoing environmental negligence.

For deeper insights, visit the original articles from AP News and CNN.