Moscow-based authorities in the Russian-annexed Ukrainian peninsula of Crimea expressed fears today that huge quantities of fuel oil will wash up on the peninsula’s shores as an oil spill caused by the sinking of two tankers on December 15 continues to spread across the sea, in a widespread ecological disaster.

“There is a serious risk that the situation will worsen and the scale of the crisis will become comparable to that in Russia’s Krasnodar region,” said Moscow-appointed governor of Crimea, Sergei Aksyonov.

On December 15, two Russian tankers, Volgoneft-212 and Volgoneft-239, sank during a storm in the Kerch Strait. The ships carried 9,200 tons of fuel oil. According to the latest estimate by the Russian Transport Ministry, given last week, 26% leaked into the sea, causing widespread pollution that first hit the coast of the Krasnodar region.

But then the oil spill also reached Crimea, mainly in the port of Sevastopol, which is located about 250 kilometers from the site of the disaster.

“The primary goal is not to let oil reach the shores (of Crimea) and to use all available means to eliminate pollution in the waters,” Aksyonov stressed.

He asked for coordination of the work done by small vessels that are currently deployed to deal with pollution. Aksyonov also called for a continuation of “permanent” aerial observation.

The official also mentioned the possibility of setting up a second center to care for birds affected by the infection and brought back to Crimea.

Several sea whales were also found dead in Sevastopol, Pavel Kharlamov, a local MP and head of a group of volunteers cleaning the beaches, said today.

Asked by the Russian state news agency TASS, the latter said that “many” cetaceans were found dead and removed. He did not specify their number or their type.

More than 30 minke whales have been found dead at sea after two oil tankers sank in mid-December in the Black Sea, a specialized non-governmental organization based in Sochi, southwestern Russia, said on Sunday.

“We have recorded 61 dead whales, of which 32 after December 15, whose deaths are most likely related to the oil spill,” the Russian NGO “Delpha” reported on Telegram, speaking of “an increased number.” “Almost every day, we receive information about new deaths,” continued the organization that specializes in rescuing dolphins and other cetaceans on Russia’s Black Sea coast. As the NGO pointed out, according to which “the dead marine mammals are mostly seals”, “judging by the condition of the carcasses, it is very likely that most of these whales died in the first ten days after the disaster”.

Yesterday Tuesday, the Russian Ministry of Emergencies, in its latest update, announced that more than 118,000 tons of contaminated sand have been removed from dozens of kilometers of beaches on the Russian coast, however, a total of about 200,000 tons of soil may be contaminated.

In Crimea and Sevastopol, at least 287 tons of oil spills have been removed since cleanup operations began, according to Russian authorities, noting that more than 5,550 birds have been retrieved and “rescued.”

For about 3 weeks now, Russian authorities and volunteers have organized a massive clean-up operation, but the situation continues to cause concern.

In December, scientists from the Russian Academy of Sciences criticized the authorities’ response to the environmental disaster, saying volunteers were not equipped to deal with such a disaster.

President Vladimir Putin acknowledged last month that the oil spill had caused an “ecological disaster” and Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov stressed that the extent of the environmental damage was “currently impossible to calculate”.