Greenpeace Russia said a ruptured oil pipeline near the town of Usinsk in the Komi region, 1,600 kilometres northeast of Moscow, has spilled at least 15 million litres of oil since Thursday.

The new spill was discovered by a Greenpeace Russia team on Friday about 60 kilometres north of Usinsk, said Paul Horsman of Greenpeace Russia.

That spill has polluted rivers and streams around Usinsk, an oil town of 70,000 and, reportedly, the nearby salmon-rich Pechora River.