Volunteers complained that authorities were not providing sufficient assistance in cleaning beaches in Tuapse.

Authorities estimate 790 people are involved in the cleanup efforts following the drone strikes – 143 of whom are extinguishing the fire at the seaport, and 50 are cleaning the city's streets and monuments. Volunteers are cleaning up areas far from the city center; they lack both manpower and government assistance. At the current pace, they say it will take about two months to clean up the aftermath of the Tyumensky settlement alone.

As reported by the "Caucasian Knot," a drone attacked the Tuapse seaport on the night of May 1. There were no casualties. The Krasnodar Krai task force reported that 128 people are involved in extinguishing the fire. Previously, fires that took several days to extinguish occurred after drone attacks on April 16, 20, and 28.

Authorities reported nearly 800 participants in the cleanup efforts following the drone attacks.

The collection of oil products continues at three sites in Tuapse. A total of 13,333 cubic meters of fuel oil, contaminated soil, and a water-fuel oil mixture have been collected and removed. Firefighting efforts at the marine terminal are also ongoing following another drone attack. The total number of personnel and equipment involved in the emergency response is 790 people and 48 pieces of equipment, the Krasnodar Krai task force reported today.

About 50 of them are cleaning the streets of previous fire-related debris, the head of the municipality reported. "Specialists from the Department of Integrated Territory Improvement are tidying up public spaces, cleaning tiles, and washing monuments," Sergei Boyko reported on his Telegram channel.
 
Eighty-five people evacuated from nearby homes during the fire at the oil refinery remain in city hotels, he added.

According to Veniamin Kondratyev, Governor of the Krasnodar Krai, 143 people and 25 pieces of equipment are directly involved in extinguishing the fire. "The situation is under control. Every effort is being made to prevent oil from leaking into the sea. To this end, the protective structure on the river before it enters the sea is being strengthened and the dam is being raised. The spent booms have also been replaced with new ones," the governor reported on his Telegram channel.

Smoke from the fire is visible from 80 kilometers away, Kommersant FM quoted Krasnodar businessman Sergei Romanov as saying.

"From Krasnodar, a black cloud is visible over Tuapse and all the surrounding villages from 80 kilometers away. There's a lot of oil in the water. Volunteers are not allowed onto the central beaches. Volunteers have organized a temporary shelter with food and necessary equipment. As soon as you're near the fire, you can smell the chemicals in the air. If you travel 20-30 kilometers in either direction, it's easier to breathe." - he said.

Volunteers complained about a shortage of people to clean beaches

Sergey Solovyov, one of the organizers of the volunteer headquarters, reported that there are not enough people to clean beaches outside the city.

"The coastline where we clean up oil products is 15 km from the central district, and we are more or less safe there. In total, we have up to 100 volunteers a day, but there are very few people. In theory, it should be the same as in Anapa, only then will there be some results," he was quoted as saying in the publication.

Roman Pukalov, director of environmental programs for the All-Russian public organization "Green Patrol" and ecologist, reported that he is on the beach in the village of Tyumensky, near the "Priboy" hotel.

According to him, The only oil spill on the stretch of coast from the village of Nebug to the Kazachya Shchel stream was on April 24. Kuban-Spas had been working here from the very beginning, near the mouth of the stream. Traces of the same spill are present along the entire stretch of coastline toward the village of Nebug, stretching for approximately 1.5 kilometers. The volumes of spills are small, but they are everywhere. "Andrey Chernenko, the spontaneous leader of the volunteer group, estimated them at 20,000 bags of pebbles with traces of fuel oil," he writes on his Telegram channel.

Volunteers have to cover a lot of their own expenses. "Volunteers have only cleaned 160 meters of beach. They've hauled away nine KamAZ trucks of bags, and the administration provided two KamAZ trucks. Removing the collected pebbles and fuel oil is a major issue (problem number 1), and there's also a problem with front-end loaders. About 60 volunteers are currently working on the beach near the Priboy Hotel. There are no dry closets (problem number 2, a very serious one), and there's no accommodation for people either. We were only able to order hot meals for 30 people, courtesy of sponsors; half of them will be on snacks," he noted.

The ecologist noted that, according to Andrei Chernenko, at this rate, the beaches will take two months to clean.

A regional emergency has been declared throughout the Tuapse District. For information on emergency assessment criteria, response levels, structures, and resources for mitigating the consequences, please refer to the "Caucasian Knot" fact sheet "Emergency Situation Regime (ES)".

Furthermore, on April 24, after the breakthrough An oil spill occurred in the Black Sea due to rising water levels in the Tuapse River due to booms. Authorities declared the spill "local," but the oil spill spread to nearby villages. Fuel oil has spread over a large area, and local residents told the Caucasian Knot on April 26.

18:09 26.12.2025

A Tuapse resident complained about delays in home repairs after a drone attack

A Tuapse resident's apartment was completely destroyed by fire after a drone attack on November 25. She is forced to live in rented accommodation. Neighboring apartments were also damaged, but a month later, on the orders of the authorities, they only put up a film instead of a roof.

As a reminder, Tuapse resident Evgeniya left the city on April 28 because she believes the conditions there are dangerous for children's health.

"My apartment was destroyed after a drone attack on November 25th last year. I moved to another, quieter area, but after the latest attack, I decided to move further away. I have been renting an apartment for five months at my own expense. I do not have temporary housing. "They provided it. We appealed to the authorities for help, but they turned a deaf ear," she told a "Caucasian Knot" correspondent.

Materials about the consequences of the fuel oil spills in the Kerch Strait and in Tuapse have been collected by the "Caucasian Knot" on the page "Eco-disaster in Kuban". Data on the scale of coastal pollution was collected by the Caucasian Knot in the reference material "Fuel oil spill in the Kerch Strait".