Russia: Residents sound the alarm on repeated oil leaks in Komi Republic

Ekaterina Diachkova filmed the damage caused by an oil spill near the Kolva River and posted her footage to social media in an attempt to raise awareness. © Observers

Residents of several isolated, rural communities in Russia's Komi Republic have become fed up with recurrent oil leaks in their local waterways.

First, they noticed oil slicks in the Kolva River, caused by a leak in an oil pipeline operated by Lukoil, one of Russia's largest oil and gas companies. The leak caused 100 tonnes of oil to seep into the river.

Then, local teacher Ekaterina Diachkova discovered a greyish liquid pooling in a stream in the forest of a nearby village. She took samples of the water to analyse the pollutant.

The FRANCE 24 Observers talked to Diachkova about the recurrent oil leaks that occur in this region.