© 2025 Connecticut Public

FCC Public Inspection Files:
WEDH · WEDN · WEDW · WEDY
WEDW-FM · WNPR · WPKT · WRLI-FM
Public Files Contact · ATSC 3.0 FAQ
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

Russia's Putin Declares State Of Emergency After Fuel Spill In Arctic

NOEL KING, HOST:

Russia's president, Vladimir Putin, declared a state of emergency in a remote Arctic region of Russia. In that region, 20,000 tons of diesel fuel spilled into a river two weeks ago. Here's NPR's Lucian Kim.

LUCIAN KIM, BYLINE: The accident took place at a power plant in Norilsk, an industrial city north of the Arctic Circle almost 2,000 miles from Moscow. More than 600 workers are now collecting the mixture of oil and water. Natalya Karmanovskaya, a local environmentalist, says it could take decades for the delicate Arctic ecosystem to recover.

(SOUNDBITE OF VIDEO)

NATALYA KARMANOVSKAYA: (Speaking Russian).

KIM: She told the Redaktsiya YouTube channel that toxins could enter the food chain, affecting not only aquatic life but also the reindeer population. Four employees of the power plant have been arrested on charges of violating environmental regulations.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

UNIDENTIFIED PERSON: (Speaking Russian).

KIM: On Thursday, a spokeswoman for Russia's Investigative Committee said on state TV that Norilsk's mayor was being charged with negligence. The accident has been compared to the 1989 Exxon Valdez spill. The one big difference is that the diesel fuel has not reached the open sea. Sergey Dyachenko is the chief operating officer of Norilsk Nickel, which owns the fuel tank. He blames global warming for thawing permafrost beneath it.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

SERGEY DYACHENKO: There’s something dramatic happen with the temperatures, right? And obviously it actually got an impact on the ground.

KIM: In a call with investors this week, he promised the company would start monitoring the permafrost below its facilities.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

DYACHENKO: I am repeating again that we are going to establish permafrost monitoring systems.

KIM: For now, Norilsk Nickel is focused on the cleanup. It estimates the cost at $150 million. Lucian Kim, NPR News, Moscow. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.

Lucian Kim is NPR's international correspondent based in Moscow. He has been reporting on Europe and the former Soviet Union for the past two decades.

The independent journalism and non-commercial programming you rely on every day is in danger.

If you’re reading this, you believe in trusted journalism and in learning without paywalls. You value access to educational content kids love and enriching cultural programming.

Now all of that is at risk.

Federal funding for public media is under threat and if it goes, the impact to our communities will be devastating.

Together, we can defend it. It’s time to protect what matters.

Your voice has protected public media before. Now, it’s needed again. Learn how you can protect the news and programming you depend on.

SOMOS CONNECTICUT is an initiative from Connecticut Public, the state’s local NPR and PBS station, to elevate Latino stories and expand programming that uplifts and informs our Latino communities. Visit CTPublic.org/latino for more stories and resources. For updates, sign up for the SOMOS CONNECTICUT newsletter at ctpublic.org/newsletters.

SOMOS CONNECTICUT es una iniciativa de Connecticut Public, la emisora local de NPR y PBS del estado, que busca elevar nuestras historias latinas y expandir programación que alza y informa nuestras comunidades latinas locales. Visita CTPublic.org/latino para más reportajes y recursos. Para noticias, suscríbase a nuestro boletín informativo en ctpublic.org/newsletters.

The independent journalism and non-commercial programming you rely on every day is in danger.

If you’re reading this, you believe in trusted journalism and in learning without paywalls. You value access to educational content kids love and enriching cultural programming.

Now all of that is at risk.

Federal funding for public media is under threat and if it goes, the impact to our communities will be devastating.

Together, we can defend it. It’s time to protect what matters.

Your voice has protected public media before. Now, it’s needed again. Learn how you can protect the news and programming you depend on.