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Akbar Novruz

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Two suspected oil spills with a combined area exceeding 600,000 square metres have been detected in the Caspian Sea near Makhachkala, according to satellite imagery published by an environmental monitoring service, AzerNEWS reports.

Satellite analysis indicates that one slick covers approximately 0.25 square kilometres, while the second spans around 0.41 square kilometres—together covering an area comparable to more than 90 football pitches.

According to the analysis, the pollution is believed to consist of oil, although this has not been officially confirmed.

The monitoring service said one of the slicks appears to have originated from an oil harbour, while the second, located roughly eight kilometres from the Makhachkala–Garabogaz shipping route, may have resulted from a spill from a vessel.

As of publication, Russia's environmental authorities and the government of the Republic of Dagestan had neither confirmed the presence of an oil spill nor announced the launch of an official investigation.