The court ruled that beach development in the Bolshoy Utrish Nature Reserve was illegal.

A private company constructed permanent structures on the Bolshoy Utrish beach in Anapa. Local residents subsequently filed complaints with the authorities, and a court ordered the company to vacate the area, which is located in a protected area.

As reported by the "Caucasian Knot," environmentalists and activists previously reported the destruction of the natural landscape of Anapa's beaches. They claimed that the beach fill had damaged the unique ecosystem. The swimming season in Anapa officially began amid a storm that turned the sand brought to the beaches into a sticky mud, turning the coastal waters brown.

The 15th Arbitration Court of Appeal ordered La Mari LLC to vacate the beach in the village of Bolshoy Utrish. The Anapa administration had previously filed a similar demand with the court. The company attempted to challenge the administration's reneging on a contract for the placement of temporary facilities to service the recreation area and demanded that the authorities' actions be declared illegal. The court noted that the contract's termination had already led to its termination, Bloknot Anapa reported on June 12.

Local residents had previously complained about the construction on the Bolshoi Utrish beach and sent appeals to Anapa Mayor Svetlana Maslova.

"We have already filed a lawsuit demanding that the beach be restored to its original condition. Notice of unilateral termination of the contract was sent back in January. However, the developer not only continued work but also initiated legal proceedings," the Anapa Chernomorye newspaper quoted Maslova as saying on its website.

The company was supposed to carry out landscaping, but under the guise of development, construction of permanent structures began. As a result, the natural landscape was destroyed, and the pedestrian area and tree root systems were damaged, the publication noted.

As a reminder, on February 26, 2026, it became known that the beach lessor in the village of Vityazevo began to add a new layer of sand from quarries on a test site. This restoration experiment may subsequently be extended to other beaches in the emergency zone, the Kuban task force reported.

Activists were concerned that the quality of the sand used to fill Anapa's beaches differs strikingly from the sand found in the dunes. This could destroy the city's reputation as a resort, the activists noted.

Unique natural resources are being destroyed. The sand brought in by graders bears no resemblance to the local loose shell sand, emphasized Olga Serebryakova, an activist from the village of Sukko. "Under the guise of improvements and emergency response, the natural landscape is being systematically destroyed for the sake of public funds," she told a "Caucasian Knot" correspondent earlier.

Earlier, authorities announced a decision to exclude eight pebble beaches in Anapa from the danger zone, from the village of Bolshoy Utrish to "Vysoky Bereg."

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. 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".

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