Russian experts are investigating the scene of the accident for possible environmental damage after a fire broke out on an underwater pipeline in Siberia.  Initial reports indicated that around 700 tons of liquid petroleum gas were observed in the affected pipeline section, explained governmental speaker Andrej Wil this past Sunday.  The owner of the pipeline, Russian petrochemical giant Sibur, revealed that the gas leak appeared on Saturday leading to a fire on the frozen river Ob in the oil rich region Chanty-Mansijsk in western Siberia.

There is "no risk for the population or for the environment," Sibur declared.  The cause of the leak is still being investigated, though the matter is under control. According to Wil there are serious doubts about the declared absence of environmental risks.

There are frequent environmental catastrophes in Russia, which often can be traced back to decrepit infrastructure or outright negligence. Already in the past month the mining behemoth Norilsk Nickel was fined 1.6 billion euro, as thousands of tons of diesel oil had leaked into the Russian Arctic in 2020. Environmental activists said this was the worst environmental accident of its kind in the Arctic.