Greenpeace reports another huge oil slick in the Black Sea following an attack on a tanker off Sochi’s coastline. Russia denies any pollution but has declared a h alert.
Krasnodar Krai is on heightened alert over a “possible spill of petroleum products.” Governor Veniamin Kondratyev signed the order on the evening of October 13. The document says naval drone attacks on vessels in the Black Sea “caused accidents,” creating a risk of an emergency in Gelendzhik and Novorossiysk.
On October 13, 2026, the governor of Krasnodar Krai issued a heightened alert over a potential oil spill in the Black Sea. This came after naval drone attacks on vessels in the Black Sea, which caused accidents and posed a risk of an emergency in Gelendzhik and Novorossiysk. The Liberian-flagged oil tanker Aframax Rio caught fire off Sochi’s coast on October 6, with a column of smoke visible and the smell of burning reaching central Sochi.
Russian authorities stated that uncrewed boats (naval drones) had attacked the tanker, causing it to spill crude oil. The 23 crew members were evacuated, but Russia denied any pollution. Greenpeace reported an oil slick covering about 25 square kilometers of the Black Sea, with traces found as far as Anapa. Birds were also found coated in petroleum products, with three black-necked grebes brought to a wildlife rehabilitation center in Anapa suffering from chemical burns.
Authorities imposed swimming restrictions at Sochi’s beaches, but no significant amounts of petroleum products were found washed ashore.
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