On May 11, 2021, the Ministry of Emergency Situations of Russia in the Komi Republic announced the discovery of a rainbow film in the Kolva River, 130 kilometers from the city of Usinsk. In the urban district of Usinsk, an emergency regime was introduced. The oil spill is taken under the control of the prosecutor's office.
On May 17 (22.30 Moscow time) the oil slick reached the village of Ust-Tsilma. The village is located just 400 km from the confluence of the Pechora River into the Arctic Ocean. Greenpeace experts fear that the oil spill may reach the Arctic Ocean.