Volunteers reported cleaning up fuel oil in Anapa amid sand-filled beaches.

Despite the decision to fill the beaches in Anapa with sand, fuel oil remains on the beaches and must be removed, volunteers stated, reporting the removal of a ton of fuel oil in one day.

As reported by "Caucasian Knot," Anapa authorities plan to deliver new sand to the resort's beaches in four stages, with a total of 90 days allocated for the work. The work on filling the beaches with new sand must be completed by the start of the beach season, Russia's Deputy Prime Minister stated earlier. Krasnodar Krai authorities have reported the start of filling the first section of Anapa's beaches with a 50-centimeter layer of sand in preparation for the resort season. Second-grade sand is being used to fill Anapa's beaches, a representative of the supplier company reported. This sand cannot serve as a full-fledged replacement for what was previously removed from the beaches, according to social media users. Bloggers urged authorities to monitor the quality of sand dumped on Anapa beaches and at least sift it beforehand. By June 1, new sand will appear on all of Anapa's sandy beaches, as the government commission for the oil spill cleanup has deemed this an effective solution. Water and soil samples from the pebble beaches meet standards, and they are being prepared for reopening, according to the governor of Kuban. The quality of the sand delivered to Anapa's beach is questionable; it is construction sand with clay admixtures, an ecologist pointed out, noting that this could cause long-term damage to the beaches. Users believe that the goal of reopening the beaches will be achieved, regardless of the environmental damage.

Members of the "Network Volunteers, Sieve, Shovel" headquarters reported today on collecting fuel oil near the beaches located on Pionersky Prospekt.

"Day's results: 6 people, 27 bags, 1,080 kg. New and old fuel oil from the area from Kristall to Neftyanik Kuban," the volunteers wrote on their Telegram channel.

They explained their position on beach cleanups in light of the beach being filled with new sand. "When the bucket of new 'sand' is literally hovering over your head, it's demotivating. Like, why bother? But we know there's still work to be done. We know where it is. And we know it's not going anywhere. Strange decisions aren't our concern. Our concern is getting as much done as possible. So, let's get going and get on with it," they said.

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".