“It was only when we got here that we realized how serious the scale of the destruction was.”

The sinking of two Russian tankers: Volgonieft 212 and Volgoneft 239 occurred on December 15 in the waters of the Kerch Strait connecting the Black Sea with the Sea of ​​Azov. Ships over 50 years old that were transporting crude oil for navy ships went down as a result of the storm. Each of them had at least four thousand tons of fuel on board.

According to local media, as a result of the disaster, approximately three thousand tons of fuel oil were released into the environment. Part of the mixture sank to the bottom, and the rest was washed ashore over a distance of dozens of kilometers. The substance, which is extremely harmful to the environment, has had a negative impact on local birds and fish in the Kerch Strait. The Ukrainian portal Espreso reported that at least 11 dolphins and 143 birds were found dead.

– Only when we got here did we understand how serious the scale of the destruction was. Now we remove the top layer, but there are a lot of small oil particles. We don't know exactly how to remove them later, I can't imagine it being possible, one of the volunteers told Reuters.

The dead dolphins include several endangered species. The Black Sea is home to, among others, bottlenose dolphins and white-nosed dolphins. As described in the media, the mammals died by suffocation because crude oil entered their respiratory tract.

– We see that the oil penetrates deeper layers of the soil. Fish, birds and marine mammals were contaminated. This will not be without consequences, said Alexander Lyukshin, director of the organization “Clean Nature Center 12-15”.

About 700 live birds were also found, most of which were sent to special rehabilitation centers. Some volunteers believe that the Russian state's assistance in the operation is insufficient.

– It is important to properly dispose of the collected fuel because we see oil coming out of the bags, leaking and seeping. We ask many questions about how all this will be managed, but we do not receive any answers, Lyukshin added.

Environmental protection organizations are watching the situation in the Kerch Strait with concern. According to Greenpace, whose activities are banned in Russia, the spill of thousands of tons of crude oil could be “one of the largest man-made disasters in the Black Sea.” According to people working on site, removing the effects may take up to 1.5 years.

A similar disaster occurred in this region in previous years. In 2007, a leak of 1.2 thousand tons of fuel and petrochemicals caused serious environmental damage that was visible even a year after the accident.