Russia on Saturday declared a regional state of emergency in the Crimean peninsula, which it seized from Ukraine in 2014, as it began removing tons of contaminated sand and dirt on both sides of the Kerch Strait after an oil spill in the Black Sea last month.< /p>

Mikhail Razvozhaev, the Russian-appointed governor of Sevastopol, demanded the removal of new monuments that showed minor contamination and declared a state of emergency in the city, giving authorities greater leverage to make quick decisions such as ordering citizens to evacuate their homes.

The strait is located between the Black Sea and the Sea of ​​Azov, and separates the Kerch Peninsula in Crimea from the Russian Krasnodar region.

"Tons of polluted sand"

The Russian Emergencies Ministry said on Saturday that rescue workers removed more than 86,000 tons of contaminated sand and dust.

Oil leaked from two tankers that were hit by a storm on December 15, leading to one of them sinking and the other to run aground.

More than 10,000 workers are working to remove oil from the sandy beaches in the summer resort of Anapa and the surrounding area, and environmental protection groups have reported the death of dolphins, porpoises and seabirds.

The Russian Ministry of Transport said last week that experts had confirmed that about 2,400 tons of petroleum products had leaked into the sea, a smaller amount than initially feared.

State media reported that the two tankers, which were more than 50 years old, were carrying about 9,200 tons (62,000 barrels) of petroleum products.