Commentators doubted the feasibility of assigning Anapa the status of a federal resort.

Assigning Anapa the status of a federal resort will not bring practical benefits due to the unresolved problem of beach pollution with oil and the sea being overgrown with algae, and federal control may lead to a review of property rights, recognition of buildings as illegal, and their demolition, residents of Kuban stated on social media.

As reported by "Caucasian Knot", residents and ecologists have repeatedly criticized the quality of sand brought in for restoring Anapa's beaches after the oil spill. During the beach cleaning, contaminated sand was removed and replaced with imported sand, however, vacationers complained that it turned out to be hard and contained clay impurities. In October of this year, ecologist Roman Pukalov reported that the first storm washed away part of the new sand: in some areas of the coast, losses reached half the width of the replenished strip.

By the decision of the Russian government, Anapa has been recognized as a federal resort. The new status applies to the entire territory of the municipal district covering 98,186 hectares. The decree, signed by Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin, establishes the boundaries of the resort at the federal level.

A federal resort represents a territory with natural therapeutic resources of state significance. Assigning this status implies a special regime for the protection of such resources and state regulation of their use, the agency "Interfax" reported on November 9, citing the government decree.

The announcement of Anapa's federal status was also published on November 9 by the Instagram*-public krasnodar_kray. Residents of Kuban expressed doubts in the comments about the practical benefits of this decision, especially against the backdrop of the consequences of the oil spill. As of 09:35 MSK on November 10, this post in the Instagram*-public krasnodar_kray, which has about 413.7 thousand followers, received 209 likes and 17 comments.

Residents of Krasnodar Krai reacted ironically to the assignment of the new status to the resort, reminding about the pollution of the coast with petroleum products. "Mud and oil baths. A light oil tan. Just as it should be," wrote ruslanepishev840.

"M-m... oil and petroleum baths... a sea blooming with algae..." noted novoross_nedvigka.

"This won't make it easier or better for us," expressed polska.moda.anapa.

Other participants in the discussion linked the new status with concerns about possible reviews of property rights and development of the resort. One user suggested that the expansion of federal authorities' powers could complicate the protection of citizens' property. "So, under the guise of federal control, can municipal decisions now be reviewed, buildings recognized as illegal, and property demolished? Federal structures will have more powers, while ordinary people will have fewer opportunities to protect their property? Will this status not become a convenient tool for large-scale redistribution of real estate?" wrote rustam_vision.

"All the trees have been cut down, dirt on the streets, terrifying high-rise buildings instead of low-rise construction... Indeed..." lamented tim__ol_.

"Caucasian Knot" also reported that the oil spill after the tankers' wreck led to serious consequences for nature and ecology in Krasnodar Krai. Thus, on November 4, it became known that, according to the regional Ministry of Natural Resources, as a result of pollution along the coast of Anapa and the Temryuk district, 13,524 birds died, found on the shore or dead in rehabilitation centers. More than ten thousand of the dead birds were grebes. The damage from the death of birds was estimated by the agency at 93.6 million rubles. In addition, petroleum products polluted the soil of the natural monument "Solenoye Lake", and nearly 90 hectares of territory were affected, including areas of the natural park "Anapa Spit" and other protected natural sites.

On October 24, bloggers and ecologists reported fish deaths, the appearance of foam, and an unpleasant smell in the Anapka River. They linked the deterioration of the water body to a temporary crossing built for transporting sand to the beaches after the oil spill. According to ecologist Andrey Makovozov, the structure hindered the normal flow of water and reduced the river ecosystem's resilience to pollution. The ecologist demanded the dismantling of the crossing, as the sand delivery work had been completed, and the continued existence of the structure posed ecological risks.

On August 24, scientists from the P.P. Shirshov Institute of Oceanology published the results of a study during which petroleum products were found in bottom sediments near Dzhemete. At the same time, researchers did not find signs of suppression of bottom communities and preliminarily assessed the damage to the coastal ecosystem as insignificant.

"We observed a large number of bivalve mollusks, crabs, and fish," said the head of the expedition team Galina Kolyuchkina, whose words were quoted by the publication "Science".

At the same time, specialists from the dolphin rescue center "Delpha" reported that over six months, 630 dead cetaceans were recorded in the Black Sea, linking the increase in mortality to pollution with petroleum products.