Environmentalists and activists have reported the destruction of the natural landscape of Anapa's beaches.

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The swimming season in Anapa officially kicked off amid a storm that turned the sand brought to the beaches into sticky mud, turning the coastal waters brown. Environmentalists and activists believe that beach fill is an attempt to exploit the budget at the expense of a unique ecosystem. As reported by the "Caucasian Knot," the Kuban office of Rospotrebnadzor stated that water samples and areas where new sand was added meet the required oil product content standards, unlike the Anapa beach, where imported sand has not yet been added. The swimming season in Anapa officially opens on June 1 and runs until September 30. Permission for swimming in the sea will be valid in areas excluded from the danger zone designated after the tanker emergency. Social media users have expressed concerns about the safety of the water and sand. On May 28, authorities reported that imported sand would be sifted and dried on the beaches. However, Telegram users believe that it will not be possible to recreate quartz sand.

On June 1, 2026, the swimming season officially opened at the Black Sea resort of Anapa. On the eve of its opening, a storm and heavy rains battered the coast. Cheap quarry sand, imported under a half-billion-ruble government contract and liberally diluted with clay, turned into sticky mud, and the coastal waters turned brown, reports a "Caucasian Knot" correspondent who visited 12 key beach areas of the city and interviewed experts and activists about the actual state of the recreation areas.

Svetlana Maslova, head of the resort town of Anapa, announced on her official Telegram channel that not all areas will be open to vacationers starting June 1. "Starting June 1, all beaches removed from the danger zone will be open for swimming. This includes 4.5 km of sandy beaches: 1 km in Vityazevo and 3.5 km from the Medical Beach to the Bimlyuk Sanatorium, as well as all pebble beaches. Swimming on the remaining sandy beaches will be permitted in stages: as work is carried out to fill them with clean sand and subsequently remove them from the danger zone,” she wrote.

Commentators criticized the statement, questioning how it is possible to “advertise beaches in places, every other one,” and directly accused officials of trying to urgently appropriate budget funds to the detriment of the unique ecosystem of the Anapa dunes.

Environmentalists and activists are alarmed by the state of Anapa’s beaches

“Rains and storms have swept along the entire coastline, and rivers are carrying trash and silt into the sea. A dirty strip of water hundreds of meters wide has formed near the shore. Moreover, on May 31, we recorded a fresh spill of fuel oil on the beach in the village of Supsekh near Anapa. A lot of trash was washed up, much of it covered in oil products. Fuel oil settles in scattered deposits – good news ranging in size from a few millimeters to five to six centimeters. It appears this is the third time this spring that a fuel oil spill from tankers has reached the shores of Anapa. The administrative system lives by reports, not reality. They'll report to the top that everything is fine, because in a sovereign democracy, the people don't dictate to them," ecologist Igor Shkradyuk commented to a "Caucasian Knot" correspondent.

The money for "reclamation" was simply cynically appropriated.

"The situation is dire. The famous Anapa beaches with natural quartz sand are simply being ruined, fulfilling a multi-billion-dollar government contract. They're using the cheapest quarry sand with a huge admixture of clay. This is happening on all the sandy beaches in the city. After the rain on May 31st, all this turned into a slippery "It's a mess. People fall before they reach the water. All this clay is washed out to sea by storms, ruining the water's clarity. The money for 'reclamation' was simply cynically appropriated," Anapa activist Ilya Gogolinsky told a "Caucasian Knot" correspondent.

"Our movement published video evidence of the quality of the imported soil—the clay is clearly visible in the footage. We sincerely hope that the public will be heard, and that at least an attempt will be made to sift this soil soon, otherwise the resort season will be jeopardized by the city's environmental image," Oleg Yantsen, leader of the "Anapa Civil" movement and deputy of the Anapa City Duma, told a "Caucasian Knot" correspondent.

Unique natural resources are being destroyed.

"Unique natural resources are being destroyed. The sand brought in by graders has nothing in common with the local loose shell sand. "Under the guise of improvements and emergency response, the natural landscape is being systematically destroyed for the sake of budget funds," Olga Serebryakova, a civil activist from the village of Sukko, told a "Caucasian Knot" correspondent.

Anapa's beach areas are divided into three categories based on safety

Based on environmentalists' data, activist monitoring, and statements from the mayor's office, a "Caucasian Knot" correspondent compiled a list of areas on the Anapa coastline divided into three safety categories.

The administration has permitted swimming in the relatively safe pebble beach areas, and there is no risk of sand contamination. However, the risk of storm debris and spotty oil spills, similar to the storm on May 31, remains.

The infrastructure at the pebble beach "Vysokiy Bereg" is generally ready, but after the storm on May 31st, the shoreline is littered with branches and seaweed. Walking on the shore and swimming in shoes are permitted here (due to the pebbles). The risks are minimal compared to the sandy area, as there are no clay deposits.

The water clears faster at the Malaya Bukhta pebble beach with its protected waters than in open areas. Swimming and sun loungers are permitted; the area is visually clean and is most prepared to receive tourists on June 1st.

Sukko Beach, made of large pebbles, is a deep-water bay. According to local activists, quarry sand was not brought here, but a storm washed household waste from the local river ashore. Open without restrictions.

The Bolshoy Utrish pebble beach is located in a nature reserve. Water quality is traditionally higher than within the city limits. Rainfall has washed away the mud from the mountains, but the sea remains relatively clear further from the shore. The beach is open, and swimming is permitted.

Category 2 beaches. These are classified by authorities as a "safe zone," but in reality they represent an environmental and injury risk zone. Four beach areas in Anapa fall into this category.

Anapa's central beach was extensively backfilled with a sand-clay mixture. Due to heavy rain on May 31st, it is covered in deep muddy furrows across the entire thickness of the backfill. The coastal water is murky and brown. Officially open. Beachgoers are permitted to sit on the sand and use sun loungers, but vacationers complain that "you could break your legs" due to the clumps of mud caked on it. Near the mouth of the Anapka River (near the Grand Hotel), witnesses discovered construction rebar and wooden stakes used to mark the area protruding from the newly dug sand. The metal structures are covered in mud and are almost invisible, posing a direct risk of injury.

The 3.5-kilometer zone officially permitted by authorities begins at the Healing Beach. The beach is covered with substandard soil mixed with clay. Due to erosion of the loam, the sea near the shore has turned into an opaque suspension. Local residents note that due to zero visibility in the water, people risk stepping on stingrays en masse, which often come to the sandbanks of Anapa. Swimming is permitted, but difficult due to the muddy waters at the water's edge.

The beaches along Pionersky Prospekt up to the Bimlyuk Sanatorium are within the permitted 3.5-kilometer zone. Heavy equipment has leveled the quarry soil. Natural quartz sand is buried under a layer of loam. A crust has formed on the surface, which dries to dust. Passage and recreation are permitted. Lifeguard posts are in place.

Vityazevo Beach is partially open for a one-kilometer stretch (near Skifskaya Street). The remaining dune area is being plundered for the construction of private hotels. Imported sand has been washed away by rain, leaving the shoreline riddled with gullies. Swimming is permitted only within the approved one-kilometer zone. Beyond the flags, the area is considered closed.

The third category is closed and strictly prohibited areas. Officially recognized by the authorities as a "danger zone" due to unfinished backfill work or contamination with oil products.

The beaches of Dzhemete, from the Bimluk sanatorium to the Ryabinushka sanatorium, have not been officially removed from the danger zone; slow-moving soil removal continues. The area has been dug up by graders. After the May storm, the sand and clay mixture flowed into the sea, forming a wide strip of liquid mud. Swimming is prohibited. Access to the sand is limited, and sun loungers are not provided. Walking along the shore is only permitted in sturdy footwear.

The beaches of Pionersky Prospekt from Ryabinushka to Vityazevo. Backfill work here is not yet complete; according to the contract, it will continue until the end of July. The beaches are essentially a construction site with heavy equipment operating. Natural dunes are being destroyed. Swimming is strictly prohibited. Prohibitory signs have been posted.

Unique sand spits are at risk from soil erosion at the beach in the village of Blagoveshchenskaya. Work to form a "clean layer" here has not yet begun; the area has been deemed unsafe due to strong bottom currents following prolonged storms in the spring of 2026. Swimming is prohibited, and recreational infrastructure will not be in place by June 1st.

The Bugayskaya Spit is a wild, ecologically fragile area. There is no infrastructure, the coastline has been significantly altered by storms, and deposits of marine debris are observed. Swimming is prohibited. It is not officially monitored by rescue services, and the risk of rip currents is high.

Wild beaches in the Supsekh-Sukko-Utrish section, and wild beaches near the Vityazevo estuaries. Extreme hazard level. It was on the beach in the village of Supsekh that ecologists recorded a massive, fresh release of fuel oil in the form of fractions up to 6 cm in size. Wild beaches near the Vityazevo estuaries are suffering from rotting algae and coastal erosion. Stagnation and an unpleasant odor have been recorded in the estuaries. Swimming and other activities are strictly prohibited. Despite these restrictions, tourists continue to visit these areas for privacy, risking toxic oil poisoning from the pebbles and infectious diseases in the estuaries.

Lawyer finds violations in beach fill contract

Municipal contract No. 1/2 for 521,773,000 rubles, concluded between the Anapa administration and a commercial company, reveals a large-scale scheme in which environmental cleanup serves merely as a cover for the misappropriation of local budget funds, independent lawyers believe. Activists provided a copy of the contract to the "Caucasian Knot."

The "sole supplier" procedure was artificially used to prevent third-party companies from participating in the bidding.

Lawyer Yaroslav Belov drew attention to the fact that the contract was concluded based on paragraph 9, part 1, article 93 of Federal Law No. 44-FZ (purchase from a single supplier in emergency situations). "Officials justified this by citing the need to eliminate the consequences of the oil spill caused by the tanker accident in the Kerch Strait. However, the accident occurred on December 15, 2024, and the contract is dubiously being signed on April 11, 2026 – almost a year and a half later. The award of a procurement worth over half a billion rubles without an open tender, 16 months after the incident, is legally invalid. The authorities had ample time to conduct an open, transparent tender. "The 'sole supplier' procedure was artificially used to prevent third-party companies from participating in the bidding process," the lawyer believes.

"The Kerch Strait is located 80-100 km from the sandy beaches of Pionersky Prospekt and Vityazevo. Even if oil spills partially reached Anapa, the law allows funds to be spent without bidding solely on liquidation of the consequences in the emergency zone. Filling half a million cubic meters of quarry loam onto the investment-attractive beaches of children's sanatoriums in Dzhemete under the pretext of the Kerch disaster is a gross misuse of budget funds. The unloading coordinates from the specifications (Golubye Dali Passage, Dzhemetinsky Passage, Skifskaya Street) prove that 'emergency response' was combined with banal commercial landscaping before the season," Belov believes.

According to the documents, the contractor is required to supply 481,000 cubic meters of clean sand that complies with construction standard GOST 8736-2014. This standard strictly limits the clay content in sand (no more than 0.25–0.5%). In practice, according to Ilya Gogolinsky and Oleg Yantsen, cheap, unsifted quarry waste with a high clay content is being imported.

By paying a fixed price for expensive sifted quartz sand, the administration is accepting cheap clay.

Yaroslav Belov calculated that "the volume specified in the contract is equivalent to approximately 40,000 KamAZ2 dump trucks." If this volume is distributed over the area of ​​the beach sections specified in the four stages (with an average width of 50-100 meters), the thickness of the sand layer should be 1 to 2 meters. In reality, vacationers see a 10-centimeter layer of rain-washed mud. This indicates that the colossal volume of sand exists only on paper. "By paying a fixed price for expensive sifted quartz sand, the administration is accepting cheap clay," he noted, adding that the contractor had already received 50% of the advance payment, or almost 260.8 million rubles.

Belovalso noted that "Clause 2.1 of the contract officially specifies a VAT rate of 22% (94,090,213 rubles 11 kopecks)." "However, the Russian Tax Code does not specify a 22% rate—the maximum is 20%. "The inclusion in an official government document of a non-existent tax rate for an amount almost 10 million rubles higher than the legal one is either a sign of the total incompetence of the regulatory authorities or a deliberate artificial inflated estimate," he believes.

He advises human rights defenders and activists in Anapa to prepare official appeals to the Investigative Committee, the Prosecutor General's Office, and the Federal Antimonopoly Service demanding that they block the execution of the contract, conduct an inspection of the imported soil for compliance with GOST standards, and investigate the possible embezzlement of local budget funds.

The resort season in Anapa began not with a beach holiday, but with an unfolding large-scale environmental and corruption scandal.

"The resort season in Anapa began not with a beach holiday, but with an unfolding large-scale environmental and corruption scandal," Olga Serebryakova commented on the lawyer's words.

Materials on the consequences of the fuel oil spills in the Kerch Strait and 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".