Russia continues to suffer military defeats in the strategically vital Black Sea, one of Moscow's most crucial avenues for political and economic influence into the Mediterranean and beyond. Newsweek has contacted the Russian Ministry of Defense for comment.

More than 10,000 people have been working to shovel up viscous, foul-smelling fuel oil from sandy beaches in and around Anapa, a popular summer resort. Environmental groups have reported deaths of dolphins,

The Russian government made the declaration after a number of its tankers were sank in the body of water between itself, Ukraine, Turkey and Romania.

Volunteers helping to clean up a major oil spill along Russia's Black Sea coast appealed in a video released on Monday for President Vladimir Putin to urgently send federal aid, saying that they and local authorities were overwhelmed.

Russia provided a major update on the oil spill involving two tankers in the Black Sea last month on Thursday, January 1.As per Reuters, Russian investigators have concluded that the size of the oil spill was less significant than what

An oil spill from damaged tankers has contaminated a long stretch of sandy beaches along the Russian Black Sea shoreline, polluting the air and threatening wildlife in one of the worst ecological disasters to hit the region in years.