Volunteers reported significant chunks of fuel oil on the Bugay Spit.
The sea has exposed chunks of fuel oil previously washed up during a storm on the Bugayskaya Spit, volunteers reported.
As reported by the "Caucasian Knot," the Russian government reported on February 20 that there were no new fuel oil spills on the shores of Anapa and the Temryuk district. Volunteers called this claim false, posting photos and videos of the spills after the storm.
On February 19, a strong storm in Anapa, waves and wind destroyed the protective embankments created to protect the beaches from fuel oil and debris. The protective embankments hastily erected in Anapa in the fall of 2025 were almost completely destroyed by strong storms and are no longer functioning, volunteers noted. Embankments and nets are a good way to protect beaches from fuel oil if they are built properly and regularly maintained, bloggers previously argued, noting that they found fuel oil spills behind the embankment after the storm.
The "Volunteers of the SSL" headquarters (the new name of the "Nets, Sieve, Shovel" headquarters - Caucasian Knot note) reported today the discovery of old fuel oil on the Bugayskaya Spit, which was exposed by the storm on February 19.
Photos published by the "SSL Volunteers" headquarters show significant chunks of fuel oil. "As reported above, the spill from February 20th has begun to be exposed. This is the one that quickly disappeared under a layer of sand," the volunteers said in a statement.
The volunteers believe the work ahead will take "more than one cleanup." "The kite station area, the fish farm, and beyond the mouth. We'll continue cleaning up the fish farm while it's still visible. The rest is not our problem," the headquarters said in a statement.
"Caucasian Knot" also reported that specialists on the Anapa coast are completing removing nets from the protective embankment. Work was carried out from the Central Beach to Tortuga Beach in the village of Vityazevo, on the spit, and in the village of Blagoveshchenskaya.
On December 15, 2024, two tankers carrying fuel oil sank in the Kerch Strait. A crew member from one of the tankers died as a result. Additionally, 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".