Crimea

One of the worst ecological disasters in the region in years has been caused by the oil spill following the sinking of two tankers in the Black Sea, now covering almost 50 kilometers of coastline.

Former Environment and Water Minister Borislav Sandov assured that Bulgaria is not at risk from the recent oil spill in the Kerch Strait, despite the incident being an ecological disaster. Sandov emphasized the spill's potential to harm marine organisms, particularly smaller species and crustaceans, while noting that seasonal factors may reduce its impact on bird populations.

A Ukrainian serviceman of the 126th brigade air-defense unit fires by a machine gun during the training in Kherson region, Ukraine, Oct. 4, 2024.

Kiev on Monday said that its forces had struck a large oil terminal overnight on the occupied Crimean peninsula as Moscow claimed the capture of another village in eastern Ukraine.

Ukraine said on Monday its forces had struck an oil terminal overnight on the Crimean peninsula, seized by Moscow in 2014, in Kiev's latest attack on Russian-controlled energy facilities.

Kiev has ramped up strikes targeting Russia's energy sector in recent months aiming to dent revenues used by Moscow to fund its invasion, now grinding through its third year.

A fire erupted at the Feodosia oil depot in occupied Crimea following a drone strike, according to the Astra Telegram channel. In response to the incident, local authorities declared a municipal-level state of emergency due to the man-made disaster.

In a video message to the Fourth Summit of the Crimean Platform Leaders, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan demanded that Russia return control of Crimea to Ukraine, Anadolu Agency reports.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan reaffirmed that Türkiye never recognized the annexation of Crimea, a situation he said has worsened the suffering of the region’s inhabitants.

The Turkish president, in a recorded message to the Crimea Platform Leaders’ Summit, stressed that the return of Crimea to Ukraine is a requirement of international law.

Overnight, Ukrainian sources reported a series of new attacks in Russian-occupied Crimea, where there were at least eight explosions and a fire across different settlements. According to Russian authorities, these incidents resulted in six fatalities and over 120 injuries from Ukrainian missile and drone strikes the previous day.

In 2023, Russia had relocated most of its Black Sea Fleet vessels from Crimea to Novorossiysk following a series of Ukrainian strikes, including a major missile attack on the fleet’s headquarters in Sevastopol

Ukraine's Main Intelligence Directorate (GUR) is reportedly planning the destruction of the Crimean bridge within the next three months. The bridge, which connects Russia to the occupied Crimean peninsula, has long been a contentious symbol of Russia's annexation of Crimea in 2014.