Russia’s Black Sea beaches in Anapa have been declared unfit for swimming following last December’s oil spill in the Kerch Strait. Four months on, oil continues to wash ashore, and piles of contaminated sand lie exposed outside the city — even as children are sent to summer camps and officials prepare for the tourist season, according to RFE/RL’s North Caucasus service, Kavkaz.Realii. Volunteers and environmentalists, meanwhile, report new pollution, health complaints, and unresolved waste disposal issues. Meduza shares an abridged translation of the outlet’s reporting.
The facility claims that the sand on its beach is “clean enough.” Another resort in the village of Vityazevo, near Anapa, is preparing to receive children with respiratory conditions. Treatment guidelines call for swimming in the sea.
