Russia's Putin orders authorities to ramp up efforts to control Black Sea oil spill

Russian President Vladimir Putin, during a Cabinet meeting on Thursday, expressed his dissatisfaction with the Emergency Situations Ministry's inadequate response to the oil spill caused by the damage to two oil ships in the Black Sea.

Putin described it as "one of the most serious environmental challenges" Russia has faced in recent years, instructing the authorities concerned to expedite efforts to control the damage caused by the incident.

On Dec. 15, two Russian oil tankers were caught in a storm south of the Kerch Strait. The Volgoneft-212 oil ship, which was reportedly carrying approximately 4,900 tonnes of mazut, a heavy, low-quality oil product, before it broke in two and sank, leading to an oil spill and the death of a crew member.

The Volgoneft-239 was also damaged, causing it to drift for several hours before running aground near the Port of Taman in Krasnodar Krai and leaking oil.

The Russian president emphasized the urgency of addressing the issue and asked for a detailed report from Minister of Emergency Situations Alexander Kurenkov on the current situation and instructed immediate steps to reduce the spill's impact.

"This matter cannot be ignored at today's meeting," Putin said, stressing the need for decisive action.

To tackle the crisis, the president also ordered the establishment of an emergency task force to remove the consequences of the fuel oil spill and mitigating its environmental impact.