Russian tanker captain suspected of polluting Ukrainian waters with fuel oil

Pollution of the sea with losses of over 20 billion UAH – the captain of the Russian tanker was informed of suspicion.

This was reported by the Prosecutor General’s Office.

Under the procedural guidance of the Melitopol District Prosecutor’s Office, the captain of the Russian tanker was informed of suspicion of the fact of pollution of the sea, which caused serious consequences (Part 2 of Article 243 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine).

According to the investigation, in December 2024, a Russian tanker, under the control of the captain, a citizen of the Russian Federation, was sailing through the territorial waters of Ukraine, transporting 4,000 tons of M-100 fuel oil from Volgograd to the port of Kavkaz.

The suspect, contrary to the requirements of navigation, did not take into account the weather conditions in the waters of the Azov and Black Seas, as well as in the Kerch Strait, which led to the ship’s accident. Due to mechanical damage to the tanker, 1,500 tons of fuel oil leaked into the internal and territorial waters of Ukraine.

This led to pollution of the sea, harmed its living resources and caused losses to the state of more than 20 billion UAH.

Earlier, USM reported that fuel oil from Russian tankers was again found off the coast of the Odesa region.