Social media users debated the effectiveness of petitions demanding the raising of tankers.

In three days, 30 people signed the petition demanding the raising of the sunken parts of tankers with fuel oil in the Kerch Strait. Commentators pointed out that the petition should have been placed on a domestic platform. The effectiveness of any petition is in question, and on a domestic platform, the publication time is extremely long, noted a blogger from Anapa.

As reported by "Caucasian Knot", in the summer of 2025, cofferdams were installed over the sunken parts of ships in the Kerch Strait to prevent fuel oil leaks. In August of this year, authorities reported the completion of the pumping of petroleum products; however, satellite images later showed oil films in the areas where parts of the tankers sank. On September 25, authorities confirmed the completion of the pumping, while the sunken fragments of the ships remained on the bottom. Autumn and winter storms complicate the raising of the sunken parts of the "Volgoneft" tankers in the Kerch Strait, from which, judging by satellite images, fuel oil leaks continue. The petition to the head of the Ministry of Transport of Russia, published on November 5 by a blogger from Anapa, contains an appeal on behalf of the citizens to raise the sunken parts of the tankers as quickly as possible and eliminate the risk of coastal pollution due to storms.

At 21:00 Moscow time, the petition demanding the raising of the parts of the sunken tankers gathered 30 signatures. The message about the petition itself collected 40 comments by that time.

Some users reported that they signed the petition and also called for it to be promoted online.

"Help spread this in neighborhood and house chats asking residents to sign the petition. Max's concerns are unfounded. The risk of spills, unfortunately, remains, and this issue is urgent for the ecology of our city. Everyone get involved!" - writes Larisa.

Others believed that the petition should have been placed on a domestic platform.

"Petitions on the Change.org platform have no legal force. This is an American online platform that is not connected to the legislation of a specific country, and its signatures are not recognized as official documents," - writes Olga Prav.

"The domestic ROI considers applications for six months. There are no other options," - replied the blogger.

"Maxim, launch it through the Russian Public Initiative (roi.ru). What you propose will not work. These signatures will not have legal force. It may take a long time, but it's the right way," - supported Elena Nikolaeva.

"There is strength in unity; I am not the only one worried, there is no legal force obliging officials to do anything," - the blogger countered.

On December 15, 2024, two tankers with fuel oil sank in the Kerch Strait. As a result, a crew member of one of the tankers died. In addition, there was a spill of petroleum products, which led to catastrophic environmental consequences, according to the "Caucasian Knot" report "Fuel oil spill in the Kerch Strait".