Are Odesa and Mykolaiv in danger? Will Russian oil reach Ukraine's port cities?

Massive oil product spill in the Black Sea poses a threat to the Ukrainian coastline. Specifically, fuel oil could reach Odessa and even Mykolaiv via the Dnipro-Buh estuary.

This was reported by the spokesperson for the Ukrainian Navy, Dmytro Pletenchuk, on air of the "We Are Ukraine" TV channel. Due to maritime currents, the fuel oil released from the tankers "Volgoneft-212" and "Volgoneft-239" could reach the shores of southern port cities in Ukraine.

Currently, oil slicks have already been detected off the coast of Kerch. Satellite images taken on the night of December 23 show dozens of fuel oil spots a few kilometers from the shore.

Pollution is rapidly spreading along the coast of Crimea. Fuel oil has been found on the beaches of Kerch and near Lake Tobečik. Additionally, oil products have reached the beaches of Lyubimovka and Orlovka near Sevastopol.

Due to this disaster, a state of emergency has been declared in Sevastopol. According to available data, dozens of marine animals have already died as a result of the pollution.

Experts are calling this oil product spill the greatest environmental disaster in the history of the Black Sea.

According to Dmytro Pletenchuk, civilian vessels continue to navigate the Kerch Strait, despite its official closure by Ukraine. Meanwhile, Russia continues to transport oil through the strait using overloaded tankers. "Ukraine is a civilized country, so we do not interfere with civilian shipping," emphasized the Navy spokesperson, referring to the ongoing impact.

Earlier, "Telegraph" also reported on what the Black Sea looks like after the Russian fuel oil spill. The slicks have reached the shores of Kerch.