Oil spill near Novorossiysk: pollution may spread to the coast of Ukraine

Satellite images also recorded the stretching of the oil slick that appeared during the loading of the Russian tanker.

This was reported by the State Ecological Inspectorate of Ukraine and the head of the public organization “Green Leaf”, biologist Vladislav Balinskyi.

The recorded oil slick covers an area of ​​​​about 350 km² and is moving towards the temporarily occupied Crimea. Environmentalists warn that the pollution may spread to the Ukrainian coast, in particular the Kherson and Odesa regions.

In turn, he noted that after the oil spill, Russia was quick to declare that everything was localized and there was no damage. At the same time, satellites show otherwise.

• Photo 1 (Sentinel-2, 08/29/2025) – the initial slick 2.9 km long (44.6218° N, 37.6585° E). ​​Visible attempts to install booms – without result.

• Photo 2 (Sentinel-1 SAR, 08/29/2025) – on the same day, the stain had already spread more than 20 km to the west.

• Photo 3 (Sentinel-1 SAR, 09/02/2025) – two types of pollution:

– a large stain (~178 km²) – a consequence of the accident on 08/29.

– smaller ones, closer to the shore – fuel oil rising from bottom deposits not cleaned up after the disaster on 12/15/2024 (highlighted in yellow).

“The characteristic “tails” of fuel oil from the wreckage opposite the Kerch Strait are also clearly visible (highlighted in red). This is direct evidence: there was no sealing, the leaks have been going on for almost 9 months,” said Vladislav Balinsky.

At the same time, he added that, thanks to the westerly and northwestern winds, these spots do not pose a threat to Crimea and the Ukrainian coast in the near future.

We will remind you that on August 29, 2025, another large-scale oil spill occurred during the loading of a tanker near the southern roadstead of Novorossiysk.