Two Russian tankers are sinking near Kerch: what we know so far along with the initial footage.

Two Russian tankers, "Volgoneft-212" and "Volgoneft-239," have sunk in the Kerch Strait. The cause of the incident was a severe storm.

This information was reported by RBK-Ukraine citing Russian media.

According to online reports, powerful waves breached the vessels. One of the tankers was nearly split in half by the waves. The "Volgoneft-212" tanker sank first while carrying 4 tons of oil. An hour later, the storm struck the "Volgoneft-239."

There are 13 crew members on board one vessel and 14 on the other.

Russian media claim that the crews have been on the decks for about four hours awaiting rescue.

A rescue boat has been dispatched to the "Volgoneft-239," and a Mi-8 helicopter has also been sent to assist the damaged Russian tankers.

It is worth noting that this is the second incident in which a cargo ship from "Kama Shipping" has sunk due to a hull breach. The previous incident involved the tanker "Volgoneft-139," which went under within minutes. In both cases, waves struck the hull and caused a breach.

It should be remembered that this is not the first instance this year of Russia losing a vessel unrelated to combat operations and Ukrainian attacks.

For example, in March, a trawler named "Captain Lobanov" caught fire and then sank in Russia. Reports indicated that one person died as a result of the incident, while two others went missing.