More than 30 dolphins have died since an oil spill near southern Russia, experts say

Thirty-two dolphins have died since fuel oil spilled out of two storm-stricken tankers three weeks ago in the Kerch Strait, which separates the Russia-occupied Crimean Peninsula from Russia’s southern Krasnodar region, an animal rescue group said Sunday.

Russia’s Delfa Dolphin Rescue and Research Center said the deaths are “most likely related to the fuel oil spill.”

The center said on the messaging app Telegram that a total of 61 dead cetaceans — an order of aquatic mammals that includes whales and dolphins — had been recorded since the emergency, but the condition of the bodies suggested that the 29 others had died before the spill.

“Judging by the condition of the bodies, most likely the majority of these cetaceans died in the first 10 days after the disaster. And now the sea continues to wash them up,” the center wrote, noting that most of the dead dolphins were from the endangered Azov species.

Russia’s Emergencies Ministry said Sunday that over 96,000 tons of contaminated sand and soil had been removed by officials and volunteers along the shoreline of the Krasnodar region’s Anapa and Temryuk districts.

Russia-appointed officials in Moscow-occupied Crimea announced a regional emergency on Saturday after oil was detected on the shores of Sevastopol, the peninsula’s largest city some 250 kilometers (155 miles) from the Kerch Strait.

On Dec. 23, the ministry estimated that up to 200,000 tons in total may have been contaminated with mazut, a heavy, low-quality oil product.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has called the oil spill an “ecological disaster.”

The Kerch Strait is an important global shipping route, providing passage from the inland Sea of Azov to the Black Sea.

It has also been a key point of conflict between Russia and Ukraine after Moscow annexed the peninsula in 2014. In 2016, Ukraine took Moscow to the Permanent Court of Arbitration, where it accused Russia of trying to seize control of the area illegally. In 2021, Russia closed the strait for several months.

Mykhailo Podolyak, an adviser to the head of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s office, described the oil spill last month as a “large-scale environmental disaster” and called for additional sanctions on Russian tankers.

In this photo released by Krasnodar Gov. Veniamin Kondratyev in his Telegram channel on Sunday, Jan. 5, 2025, rescuers and volunteers work to clean up tons of fuel oil that spilled out of two storm-stricken tankers more than two weeks ago in the Kerch Strait, near Anapa in Russia's southern Krasnodar region. (Krasnodar Gov. Veniamin Kondratyev Telegram channel via AP)

In this photo released by Sevastopol mayor Mikhail Razvozhaev telegram channel on Friday, Jan. 3, 2025, veterinarians clean a bird after tons of fuel oil spilled out of two storm-stricken tankers more than two weeks ago in the Kerch Strait, in Russia's southern Krasnodar region, at a reception point opened in the State Veterinary Center in Sevastopol, Crimea. (Sevastopol mayor Mikhail Razvozhaev telegram channel via AP)

In this photo released by Krasnodar Gov. Veniamin Kondratyev in his Telegram channel on Sunday, Jan. 5, 2025, rescuers and volunteers work to clean up tons of fuel oil that spilled out of two storm-stricken tankers more than two weeks ago in the Kerch Strait, near Anapa in Russia's southern Krasnodar region. (Krasnodar Gov. Veniamin Kondratyev Telegram channel via AP)

In this photo taken from video released by Russian Emergency Ministry Press Service on Saturday, Jan. 4, 2025, rescuers work to clean up tons of fuel oil that spilled out of two storm-stricken tankers more than two weeks ago in the Kerch Strait, in Russia's southern Krasnodar region. (Russian Emergency Ministry Press Service via AP)

In this photo taken from video released by Russian Emergency Ministry Press Service on Saturday, Jan. 4, 2025, rescuers and volunteers work to clean up tons of fuel oil that spilled out of two storm-stricken tankers more than two weeks ago in the Kerch Strait, in Russia's southern Krasnodar region. (Russian Emergency Ministry Press Service via AP)

In this photo taken from video released by Russian Emergency Ministry Press Service on Saturday, Jan. 4, 2025, rescuers work to clean up tons of fuel oil that spilled out of two storm-stricken tankers more than two weeks ago in the Kerch Strait, in Russia's southern Krasnodar region. (Russian Emergency Ministry Press Service via AP)

The Athletics have agreed to a $60 million, five-year contract with slugger Brent Rooker, a person familiar with the negotiations told The Associated Press on Monday night.

The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the agreement had not been announced.

The deal includes a $22 million vesting option for the 2030 season and escalators that could increase the value to $92 million over six seasons. Rooker was set to swap proposed arbitration salaries with the A's on Thursday. He also would have been eligible for arbitration after the 2025 and 2026 seasons, and could have become a free agent following the 2027 World Series.

The new deal keeps Rooker signed through 2029, when the team is planning to be in Las Vegas. The A's left Oakland after last season and are set to play the next three seasons in a minor league park in West Sacramento, California. The club says its new stadium in Las Vegas is expected to be ready in 2028.

The 30-year-old Rooker has been one of the best players for the A's since joining the team in 2023. He batted .293 with 39 homers, 112 RBIs and a .927 OPS last season, winning a Silver Slugger award at designated hitter and finishing 10th in AL MVP voting. He hit 30 homers with an .817 OPS in his first season with the A's, making the AL All-Star squad.

The agreement with Rooker is the latest big move for the A's this offseason. The team previously signed pitcher Luis Severino to a $67 million, three-year contract — the largest deal in franchise history. The right-hander can opt out and become a free agent again after the 2026 season.

Severino’s arrival was followed by the acquisitions of third baseman Gio Urshela and left-hander Jeffrey Springs.

For the first time since the current collective bargaining agreement began in 2022, the A’s are to receive 100% of the amount due under the revenue sharing formula. If a team’s luxury tax payroll is not at least 150% of what it receives in revenue sharing, the burden of proof in a grievance alleging violation of revenue sharing rules would shift to the club from the players’ association.

The A's have one other player scheduled to swap proposed arbitration salaries with the team on Thursday in outfielder Miguel Andujar.

AP Baseball Writer Ronald Blum contributed to this report.

AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb

FILE - Oakland Athletics designated hitter Brent Rooker rounds the bases after hitting a home run during a baseball game against the Texas Rangers, Aug. 30, 2024, in Arlington, Texas. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez, File)