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Last July, after Ukraine's Azov Brigade posted a social media video showing one of its members shooting a Russian soldier in a dugout, the deputy head of Russia's Security Council, Dmitry Medvedev, called for "total executions" of Ukrainian servicemen.

After its annexation in 2014 Putin sought to cement Russia's control over Crimea, first with a 12-mile bridge built over the Kerch Strait in 2018 and then by capturing a land bridge along the Sea of Azov coast in 2022.

Up to 5,000 tonnes of oil has now leaked, and media reports and official statements analysed by BBC Verify suggest the spill has spread across the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov.

The Azov Brigade, a former militia that is now part of Ukraine’s National Guard, also issued a statement after social media posted a clip from a video showing Routh at an Azov rally.

Routh “has no connection to Azov and has never had any connection,” the statement said.