AT least one person has died after a Russian oil tanker split in two, with a second ship damaged in the Black Sea.
Footage shows one of the tankers split completely in half, with its bow vertically in the water, upturned and rapidly sinking.
An emergency rescue operation is currently underway to desperately evacuate both crews in yet another blow to Putin.
The Volgoneft-212 and Volgoneft-239 are wrecked in the Kerch Strait amid fears for at least 27 sailors, with the damage reportedly resulting in a devastating oil spill.
Russian investigators say they have opened two criminal cases to look into possible safety violations.
The two Russian tankers in the Black Sea have been badly damaged due to stormy weather, according to the Interfax news agency.
The Volgoneft-212 had 13 crew on board, and the Volgoneft 239 had 14 sailors.
Other reports said a total of 29 were on the two vessels.
Ten sailors have been rescued so far but 13 are said to be “still at sea”, reports claim.
There are fears for the lives of four more who were “in the hold” when one of the vessels broke up.
The report said: “Volgoneft-212 and Volgoneft-239 are new river-sea type ships.
“In the 1990s, they were cut in half and ‘sewn together’ to meet the standards of the class of such ships.
“All this time, they were not properly serviced.
“Today, during a storm, the waves hit them in the side and ‘tore’ the welded seam.
“ Each had 4,000 tons of fuel oil in the tanks – some of it leaked out of the tanks, forming black spots in the sea.”
Russian Mi-8 rescue helicopters were reportedly flying to the scene.
A rescue tug was also sent to the location, several miles off the shore of the Crimean peninsula.
The problems for the oil tankers are not believed to be related to the war, although the vicinity has been attacked by Ukrainian marine drones in recent days.
Readovka media outlet reported: “According to preliminary data, a hole was formed in the hull due to strong waves, after which the ship broke in half and began to sink.”
The Russian Emergencies Ministry confirmed that the Volgoneft-212 and Volgoneft-239 were sinking.
“More than 50 specialists and 11 pieces of equipment are already involved in eliminating the consequences. Further information is being clarified,” said the ministry.
Later it said the 212 had run aground, and while the 239 was drifting.
