Environmental crisis in Anapa as 200 birds perish despite Kremlin cleanup claims
Over 200 birds have been found dead or covered in petroleum contaminants along the Anapa coastline over the last 48 hours, according to the Krasnodar region’s operational office.
Local authorities, cited by The Moscow Times, stated the wildlife likely encountered an oil slick detected 11 kilometers from the resort. While biosorbents and protective barriers were deployed earlier this week, the fatalities highlight a persistent ecological threat.
The incident severely undermines official efforts to reopen local beaches following the massive December 2024 disaster. During that crisis, the sinking of several tankers in the Kerch Strait released approximately 4,000 tons of heavy fuel oil into the sea.
In late March, Russian Deputy Prime Minister Vitaly Saveliev claimed that 90% of the spill had been recovered. Regional Governor Veniamin Kondratiev further pledged to blanket the beaches with 50 cm of fresh sand to ensure they are ready for tourists by June 1.
However, Rosprirodnadzor officials admitted that total containment is impossible as fuel continues to leak from a sunken tanker. Experts from the Russian Society for Nature Conservation estimate that a full recovery will take more than three years.
Regional authorities now suggest this latest slick may stem from recent drone strikes on vessels in the Black and Azov seas. This includes a grain carrier that sank near the occupied Kherson coast on April 5 and a damaged vessel in the Taganrog Gulf.
Translation by Iurie Tataru
