Authorities reported on the next stage of restoration of Anapa's beaches.
A beach lessee in the village of Vityazevo has begun adding a new layer of sand from quarries at a test site. This restoration project may subsequently be extended to other beaches in the emergency zone, the Kuban task force reported.
As reported by the "Caucasian Knot," on February 20, the Russian government reported no new fuel oil emissions on the shores of Anapa and the Temryuk district. Volunteers, in turn, pointed out that the authorities were turning a blind eye to the actual state of the beaches and published photos and videos of the emissions after the storm. On February 21, the Kuban task force acknowledged the emissions, stating that they were "old fuel oil emissions that were raised from the bottom of the coastal sea by a strong storm."
The prospects for the 2026 summer tourist season in Anapa remain unclear: on February 4, the head of Rospotrebnadzor, Anna Popova, stated that the beaches of Anapa and the Temryuk district are still unsuitable for recreation following the fuel oil spill. Although she did not rule out that the situation could change by the start of the summer season, some bloggers believe that the official's words "put an end to the 2026 season." On February 15, social media users considered that the figures proposed by Rospotrebnadzor for the reopening of Anapa's beaches are unrealistic.
On February 25, Kuban authorities reported the start of a new phase of beach restoration in Anapa. Work is currently only underway on a test section of the beach in the village of Vityazevo.
This phase is expected to replenish the sand lost during the cleanup of large fractions of fuel oil. The beach lessee will perform the additional sand layer, 30 to 70 cm thick. After testing the sand filling technology, this work may be extended to other beaches in Anapa and the Temryuk district, which were affected by the emergency zone and closed to visitors in the summer of 2025.
The sand is being brought from "nearest quarries": during surveys, a sand composition containing quartz and biocarbonates was selected that is "as close as possible to the composition of the soil on the beaches," the Kuban task force reported on its Telegram channel.
According to blogger Andrey Makovozov, work has begun on Miracleon Beach, and in the future, “other beaches will be filled as well.” He called the announcement of the start of work “excellent news,” although he noted that not everyone shares his optimism.
“Some subscribers are skeptical about the fill—they say they’ll only fill the Miracleon beaches, and then they’ll open, while the rest won’t. (...) The season is three months away. Considering that (sand) was removed in huge batches by hundreds of KAMAZ trucks last year, to repeat the same rate of sand delivery, we’ll need at least as much equipment, so it’s possible the fill will continue throughout the season,” he wrote on his Telegram channel, “Makovozovs.”
On December 15, 2024, two tankers carrying fuel oil sank in the Kerch Strait. As a result, a crew member of one of the tankers died. Furthermore, an oil spill occurred, leading to catastrophic environmental consequences, according to the Caucasian Knot report "Fuel Oil Spill in the Kerch Strait".
Materials on the consequences of the fuel oil spill have been collected by the Caucasian Knot on the page "Eco-disaster in Kuban".