The task force announced the deadline for checking the cleanliness of Anapa's beaches.

An assessment of the official beaches of Anapa and the Temryuk district for their suitability for the resort season will be conducted in late spring or early summer. Authorities have denied reports of emissions at official beaches, citing petroleum products, for example, in protected areas, particularly on the Bugayskaya Spit.

As reported by "Kavkazsky Uzel," Anna Popova, head of Rospotrebnadzor, stated on February 4 that the beaches of Anapa and the Temryuk district are still unsuitable for recreation following the fuel oil spill. She did not rule out the possibility that the situation could change by the start of the summer season. Some bloggers believe the Rospotrebnadzor head's statement regarding Anapa's beaches has "put an end to the 2026 season." First, they need to ensure there are no emissions from sunken tankers; others believe hotelier profits are less important than public health. Against this backdrop, the Krasnodar Krai Emergency Response Team reported that there were no new fuel oil spills on the coast of Anapa and the Temryuk District from January 29 to February 6. On February 7, volunteers reported that the wind had exposed layers of fuel oil directly on the protective embankment; 12 bags of clean fuel oil were collected in one day.

The Krasnodar Krai Emergency Response Team reported that an assessment of the possibility of using beaches for recreational purposes before the start of the swimming season will be conducted in late spring - early summer for all official beaches.

The Emergency Response Team posted a comment from the Krasnodar Ministry of Civil Defense and Emergencies regarding reports of "new oil spills on Anapa beaches," which are allegedly being circulated on instant messengers and social media.
 
Coastal conditions are monitored daily. No oil spills have been recorded in Anapa and the Temryuk district for over three months. This includes both small and, especially, large fragments of fuel oil.
 
During the spring, summer, and fall of 2025, systematic mechanized cleaning was carried out on all public sandy beaches in Anapa. The work was carried out using specialized equipment in several stages: first, the upper layers of sand were sifted, then the soil from a depth of up to 70 cm was turned over, leveled, dried, and sifted. The sand that made up the protective berm was then cleaned using the same principle. It was dismantled and sifted using equipment. And before the storm season, they restored it from cleaned sand, the department reported.

Fragments of fuel oil are found away from public beaches, in specially protected natural areas, particularly on the Bugayskaya Spit, where, for objective reasons, it is impossible or prohibited for special equipment to operate. Furthermore, this area is used for scientific purposes. Scientists work there studying the "behavior" of oil products as part of a field research center created to develop and test various methods for cleaning sand from oil products.

"There have never been organized recreation areas in these areas. Therefore, the research required for any public beach to be allowed to operate during the holiday season has not been and is not being conducted there," the statement reads.

The Dolphins headquarters commented on the department's statement, pointing out that the Ministry of Civil Defense and Emergencies reports only on the cleanliness of official beaches, not the entire coastline. "At the same time, the presence of fuel oil fragments has been confirmed—in protected areas (for example, on the Bugayskaya Spit). "Protected areas are effectively excluded from the resort assessment, as they are not intended for recreation. But it is precisely in these areas that pollution is currently being observed, visible to the naked eye," the headquarters said in a statement on February 10.

However, the statement does not specify:  which photos and videos are considered unreliable; whether the specific reported locations were verified;  how to distinguish between "old fuel oil" and "new emissions";  whether independent and volunteer observation data was taken into account, the volunteers emphasize.

"The official position is understandable—it is an effort to reduce anxiety around resort beaches. But the overall environmental picture requires greater transparency and dialogue," they added.

As a reminder, on April 18, 2025, Rospotrebnadzor declared 141 beaches in Anapa and nine beaches in the Temryuk district unsuitable for recreation.