The resort season began amid the problem of pollution of the Tuapse region's coastline.

Ecologists noted that traces of petroleum products are still present in certain sections of the coastline of the Tuapse District of Krasnodar Krai.

As reported by the "Caucasian Knot," in Anapa, after cleaning and sand renewal, a 3.5-kilometer stretch of beach from the Bimlyuk to the Ryabinushka sanatorium has been removed from the danger zone.

Ecologist Igor Shkradyuk said the situation on the coast remains uneven. "There are beaches with petroleum products. And there are clean beaches. "The situation is very mixed, and no one fully understands the situation," he told a "Caucasian Knot" correspondent.

According to the ecologist, the pollution of the coastline between Tuapse and Agoy is uneven, as the oil products were carried by currents and wind. "The oil products were carried to the shore between Tuapse and Agoy by currents and wind. The wind changed frequently, so the shoreline is polluted unevenly," Shkradyuk explained.

The ecologist did not claim that the presence of pollution in certain areas indicates the poor condition of the entire coastline. However, he noted that information on the condition of various beaches remains fragmented. He did, however, highlight the problem of contaminated rocks and hard-to-reach areas of the coast. He said that cleaning them requires specialized equipment, which volunteers essentially do not have.

"No one is planning to clean the rocks—neither the Ministry of Emergency Situations nor the volunteers." "Rock cleaning requires high-pressure pumps, not surfactants. The Ministry of Emergency Situations only has a dozen of these at a training center near Noginsk. And volunteers still don't understand the need for the equipment; they're not even collecting funds for it," he noted.

Viktor Chirikov, an activist with the Environmental Watch for the North Caucasus, told a correspondent that he had observed the condition of the beaches near Divnomorskoye and Arkhipo-Osipovka. He said he saw no traces of petroleum products in Divnomorskoye, but encountered other environmental problems in Arkhipovka. "In Arkhipovka, the beaches are not only very dirty, but they also smell terrible. They dump sewage directly into the sea," he said.

Chirikov believes that authorities should regularly monitor the condition of beaches along the entire coast. "But I haven't observed anything like that," the ecologist said.

He also noted that he doesn't have up-to-date information about Tuapse, but he wouldn't recommend it as a vacation spot. "Is it natural to swim in a sea like this? It's dangerous where so much oil spilled," said Viktor Chirikov.

Former volunteer Tatyana, who participated in the coastal cleanup, reported that she stopped working due to deteriorating health. She said that after participating in the beach cleanup in Tuapse, she developed allergic reactions and skin rashes. She attributed her deteriorating health to exposure to oil products on her skin and respiratory system.

Tuapse resident Sergey told a correspondent that the city has noticeably fewer vacationers compared to previous seasons. "The number of people in Tuapse has noticeably decreased, as have the beaches," he said.

According to the source, he visited several beaches a few days ago and didn't notice any obvious traces of fuel oil, but the condition of some sections of the coastline leaves much to be desired. "The beaches are dirty—there are bottles, driftwood, and pieces of paper that washed up on the shore," said a local resident.

The "Caucasian Knot" also reported that activists had previously been concerned that the quality of the sand used to fill Anapa's beaches differed markedly from the sand found in the dunes. This, they noted, could ruin the city's reputation as a resort. Authorities reported that more than 136,000 cubic meters of sand had been delivered to Anapa's beaches, and over five kilometers of shoreline had already been filled. New sand hardens after rain, and turns into a suspension in water, Telegram users noted.

As a reminder, the resort season in Anapa opened amid a stark contrast in coastal conditions. Some beaches are open and deemed safe, while others are closed due to erosion, unstable soil, and environmental risks. Which beaches are ready for visitors and which are dangerous is described in the "Caucasian Knot" report "Anapa Beaches: Open and Dangerous Areas".

On December 5, 2024, two tankers carrying fuel oil sank in the Kerch Strait. A crew member from one of the tankers died as a result. In addition, 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".