Ukrainian officials have accused Russia of recklessness after two vessels sank or ran aground in the Kerch Strait during a storm. A Ukrainian oil tanker, Volgoneft-212, snapped in half and sank, killing one crew member while 11 others were injured. The vessel was carrying 4,300 tonnes of low-grade fuel oil.
A second Russian vessel, Volgoneft-239, is drifting in the area after sustaining damage. Russia’s emergencies ministry said it had run aground near the port of Taman and efforts to evacuate the crew had been suspended due to bad weather.
President Vladimir Putin has ordered a working group to deal with the rescue operation and mitigate the impact of a potential fuel spill. Ukraine’s SBU security service claimed to have destroyed 40 rail cars carrying fuel to Russian troops in southern Ukraine, while Russia said its forces had captured villages in eastern Ukraine as they advance towards key supply hubs.
The incident has sparked concerns about ecological damage from oil spills in the Black Sea. A Ukrainian drone also struck a campus belonging to Russia’s National Guard in Chechnya, where no casualties were reported.
Source: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2024/dec/16/ukraine-war-briefing-kyiv-accuses-moscow-of-recklessness-after-oil-tanker-sinks-in-storm