A week after two Russian tankers capsized in the Kerch Strait, spilling thousands of tons of oil, efforts are underway to clean up the beaches of the occupied Crimean peninsula.
The environmental damage is described as extensive and eleven dolphins are said to have been found dead.
The dolphins’ airways were clogged with oil, says Russian researcher Tatiana Belej, according to state-run Russian media.
Russia has confirmed the oil spill but described it as partial and is said to still be assessing its extent.
Ukrainian authorities, on the other hand, have called the leak, which consisted of at least 3,700 tons of oil, extensive.
According to the organization Greenpeace, which is banned from operating in Russia, at least six miles of coastline is affected by the leak.
In the Russian media, it is described how thousands of people, many of them volunteers, are trying to clean up along the coast.
Media outlets more critical of the Kremlin, however, have quoted volunteers as saying that government support is insufficient for the efforts required.
The Kerch Strait separates Russian-occupied Crimea from Russia, and is an important global shipping route that has become central to Russia’s war against Ukraine.