MOSCOW - A serious oil spill has occurred on one of Russia’s largest export pipelines near the border with Ukraine and Belarus, the Natural Resources Ministry said Monday, warning it could cause an environmental disaster.

The ministry said that oil from the pipeline had contaminated local water sources and forests in the western province of Byransk, adding that the spill affected an area of nearly 4 square miles.

An official from state pipeline operator OAO Transneft, however, downplayed the spill, saying it had only affected an area of 3,875 square feet and had already been cleaned up.

AP