The condition of Anapa's beaches has become the main issue among commentators.
The beach at the Kavkaz residential complex, where the video of the oil spill was filmed, continues to be replenished with new sand. Telegram users are asking Anapa bloggers about the beach's condition. The mayor's office reported intensive sand sifting.
As reported by "Kavkazsky Uzel," a video has appeared in public groups of an oil spill on a person's body after swimming at an Anapa beach. Telegram users indicated that it is impossible to determine where, by whom, and when the video was filmed, or whether it was staged.
On June 6, three officials assured the safety of Anapa's beaches, comparing them to the French Riviera and the sand to that of Thailand. The officials’ words are unsubstantiated, and the protracted backfilling with new sand is scaring away tourists, Telegram users noted. The following day, the Deputy Prime Minister of Russia stated that the decision to open Anapa’s beaches could be made on June 15. The governor of Krasnodar Krai, Veniamin Kondratyev, commented on the summer holiday season, stating that fuel oil “has always been there” on the beaches. Telegram users considered the regional governor’s reasoning absurd. Scientists from the Institute of Oceanology of the Russian Academy of Sciences have recorded layers of fuel oil near Dzhemete, as well as mollusks and crustaceans contaminated with it.
A video of fuel oil on a child's leg was filmed on the beach of the Kavkaz residential complex, the "Caution, News" project discovered.
Anastasia Shch. said she was vacationing with her family on the beach near the Kavkaz residential complex in Vityazevo, a resort town approximately 15 kilometers from Anapa. Her 5-year-old daughter was playing by the water and sitting on the sand. After some time, Anastasia noticed a fuel oil stain on her child's leg that was difficult to remove. She then decided to leave the beach with her child. Later, municipal vehicles appeared on the beach, and vacationers were asked to leave the area. Some people continued to swim, the report said.
Blogger Max Anapsky was asked about the condition of the sand on this beach.
"What's going on with the beach at the Kavkaz residential complex?" - asked user saa.
"They're slowly backfilling from the Mozhepsin River, and they've even built a road nearby," the blogger replied.
"I haven't read anywhere that in the area of Pervy Proezd and Gostevoy... the beaches have different sand - it's much better, with practically no clay. Apparently they've started additional sifting at the quarry. It's clearly better than the sand at Dzhemetinsky, and further on to Anapa," commented Dmitry Vankor.
Ecologist Roman Pukalov, director of environmental programs for the all-Russian public organization "Green Patrol," reported on his visit to the beach between "Zhemchuzhina" and the beach "Sails."
"Playful hands will find fuel oil. In old compressed seaweed. Droplets of oil products have dried, but still get dirty. This beach is still closed for swimming. New sand hasn't been poured here yet. There's no health threat yet, but you shouldn't walk on it barefoot," he wrote on his Telegram channel.
The resort season in Anapa opened amid a sharp contrast in the state of the coast. Some beaches are open and considered safe, while other areas are closed due to erosion, unstable soil, and environmental risks. The "Caucasian Knot" report "Anapa Beaches: Open and Dangerous Zones" details which beaches are ready for visitors and which are dangerous.
City Hall Reports on Sand Sifting
Specialized equipment from the Anapa Resorts company has been clearing beaches of storm debris since early morning, as well as harrowing and double-sifting the sand in the filled areas, which makes it looser, the Anapa City Hall wrote today.
"Two pieces of equipment are engaged in loosening and harrowing, another two are engaged in sifting, and a total of six pieces of equipment and 20 people are involved in beach maintenance work. Work has been organized since 4 a.m. so as not to cause inconvenience to residents and guests of the resort." - the mayor's office said in a message on its Telegram channel.
Max Anapsky reported that the beaches from Anapa to the Yubileiny Children's Health Camp (Dzhemete) are essentially ready. They have been given the final rake, and infrastructure is being installed: shelters, sun loungers, lifeguard and medical posts, fencing, changing rooms, and restrooms. Equipment is no longer working on this section. Soon, the second section from the Bimluk Children's Health Camp to Gostevoy Proezd will be legally open; all that remains is to spread and level the sand pyramids near the Yubileiny Children's Health Camp, he said.
According to him, there are many more vacationers than last year, but not many yet. "The most tourists are on Anapa's central beach. But the peak season is July and August. As I said earlier, this year those who really love Anapa and weigh all the risks are coming," he wrote.
Beach filling continues in Anapa, but tourists are already spread out along the entire coastline, bloggers write. A government commission reported that 49 Anapa beaches have been reopened after sand filling, with another 18 undergoing inspection. In the absence of clear data on test results, officials' statements should not be taken unconditionally, social media users noted. Meanwhile, bloggers are posting photos and videos of beaches crowded with tourists.
On December 15, 2024, two tankers carrying fuel oil sank in the Kerch Strait. A crew member of 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".