Oil has reached new resort areas in Crimea, leading to the death of dolphins in the sea.

Pollution covers a large area of the sea from the village of Partenit to Sudak. Oil slicks have also been found on the beaches of Sevastopol and the Central Beach of Anapa.

In turn, the operational headquarters of Kuban reported the discovery of oil product fragments on the seabed near the beach in the Anapa area. "Over a distance of 8 km from the Anapa Sea Port to the Vityazevo beach, inspections revealed the presence of large and small oil slicks, as well as an oily film on the water's surface, including at a distance of 3.5 km from the shore," the statement from the operational headquarters reads.

In the area of the Dzhemete beach, small fragments of oil products were also found underwater at a distance of 250 meters from the shore using an underwater drone.

The spill of M100 fuel oil, which settles to the bottom during winter, poses new problems in the summer when water temperatures rise to 25 degrees, causing the pollution to surface and threatening marine flora and fauna.

In Balaklava Bay, birds stained with oil products have been observed. In Georgia, a black-necked grebe was found covered in fuel oil on the beach in Ureki.

The scientific and ecological center "Delpha" reported a mass die-off of dolphins. According to the center, since the accident, 61 cetaceans have been recorded dead, of which 32 individuals likely fell victim to the oil spill. The most affected were the Azov dolphins — the most vulnerable species of cetaceans. Most of the animals died in the first 10 days after the incident, but experts warn of a potential increase in casualties in the coming months.

• On December 15, tankers "Volgoneft 212" and "Volgoneft 239" sank in the Kerch Strait. A fuel spill occurred in the area of the emergency, with oil products washing ashore. Thousands of rescuers and volunteers have been involved in the response efforts.
• On December 25, the governor of Kuban, Veniamin Kondratiev, declared a state of emergency across the entire region. The following day, the government commission decided to introduce a federal-level state of emergency. Criminal cases have been initiated regarding the tanker sinking.