Volunteers identified difficulties in cleaning Tuapse beaches from oil products.

THIS MATERIAL (INFORMATION) WAS PRODUCED AND DISTRIBUTED BY FOREIGN AGENT MEMO LLC, OR CONCERNING THE ACTIVITIES OF FOREIGN AGENT MEMO LLC.

Volunteers cleaning Tuapse beaches of oil products are particularly challenged by shortages of food and equipment, as well as respirators and bags. Women participating in the cleanup admitted that they are not allowed into the most contaminated areas.

As reported by the "Caucasian Knot," on May 4, the Krasnodar Krai task force reported the removal of more than 1,800 cubic meters of contaminated soil and fuel oil mixture in 24 hours. On May 3, the mayor of Tuapse stated that he discouraged volunteers from participating in beach cleanups, as they were dangerous due to the equipment. Officials prohibited women from cleaning up oil spills, advising them to protect their reproductive health. Volunteers are not allowed to work on the coastline; only specialized organizations operate in the coastal area.

Volunteers cleaning Tuapse's beaches from oil spills, interviewed by a "Caucasian Knot" correspondent on May 4, described the difficulties they regularly face. According to them, beach cleanup efforts have been ongoing.

"The Ministry of Emergency Situations has come to us in Tyumen – this is a huge help, and it's noticeably easier for us. But supplies are still worth their weight in gold: we're short of PPE, respirators, bags, and medications. That's why we're happy to accept assistance in the form of purchases on marketplaces, not just cash," said David.

There are currently about thirty people at one site. They all need to be fed, because the work is very difficult.

According to him, the issue of food is also pressing. "There are currently about thirty people at one site. They all need to be fed, because the work is very difficult. But the main hope is that this will become a systemic, centralized support for volunteers," he noted.

Anastasia personally participated in beach cleanups, and according to her, no one prohibited her from cleaning the beaches from oil products.

"In such a situation, it would be foolish to refuse anyone's help. It doesn't matter if you're a woman or a man, these are our beaches, and we all have to do something, to help somehow. "Personally, no one asked me to do anything or tried to forbid me to do anything," she said.

According to her, another problem is the lack of equipment. "This is one of the main problems - the lack of equipment. If there were more trucks, everything would be removed faster. But the volume of work is very large, the equipment cannot keep up with the workers," she noted.

Where rescuers and special equipment are working, they try to keep women away.

Fourth-year student Anna confirmed that female volunteers are not allowed into the most contaminated areas. "Where rescuers and special equipment are working, they try to keep women away. I wanted to get into the difficult areas, but the guys advised me to stay on the beach and help with organizational issues," she said.

I was there and saw with my own eyes the so-called gasoline film on the beach.

Regarding the cleanup of Novomikhaylovskoye and Nebug-Yuzhny, there may be oil stains under the pebbles, which is dangerous to health. A local resident said that in all the areas cleared of fuel oil, as reported by the authorities, there are still traces of contamination. "I was there and saw with my own eyes the so-called gasoline film on the beach. This is when a wave comes in and you clearly see traces of gasoline on the surface of the water. But under the pebbles, there are periodically traces of fuel oil, carried by the waves after the beach cleanup," she told a "Caucasian Knot" correspondent.

According to her, volunteers are still visiting these beaches and cleaning up traces of fuel oil. "A meter-long strip with splashes of fuel oil. You can see everything on the pebbles. I think the traces will remain for a long time. I can't imagine how it will all be cleaned up. In many places, there is no access for equipment to the contaminated areas. "All of this needs to be cleaned by hand, and that will take months, if not longer," she noted. Environmentalist Valery Brinnikh confirms that if there are still traces of fuel oil on the beach, this indicates the cleanup process is not complete. "It was impossible to do this in such a short period of time. The presence of fuel oil traces on beaches makes them extremely dangerous for recreation. Even visually invisible residues of petroleum products contain carcinogenic polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, which accumulate in the body through skin contact and inhalation of vapors. "In the sun, fuel oil releases toxic volatile compounds—benzene, toluene, and xylene—which cause headaches, nausea, and dizziness," he told a Caucasian Knot correspondent.

The only solution is a complete excavation of contaminated soil to a depth of 1.5-2 meters, but this would cost billions of rubles and require years of work.

According to him, clearing old gravel and bringing in new gravel is not enough to ensure the beaches are considered safe. "Backfilling with new gravel masks the problem because the fuel oil has penetrated deep, and seawater constantly washes toxins from the lower layers upward. During storms and erosion, the clean upper layer will inevitably mix with the contaminated one. The only solution is a complete excavation of the contaminated soil to a depth of 1.5-2 meters, but this would cost billions of rubles and years of work," he noted.

A regional emergency situation is in effect throughout the Tuapse District. Information on emergency assessment criteria, response levels, structures, and resources for eliminating the consequences can be found in the "Caucasian Knot" reference "Emergency Situation (ES) Regime".

Materials on the consequences of the fuel oil spill have been collected by the "Caucasian Knot" on the page "Emergency Situation (ES) Regime" href="https://www.kavkaz-uzel.eu/category/ecological_disaster_Kuban">Eco-disaster in Kuban.