Anapa authorities announced the opening of sandy beaches for vacationers.

The swimming season in Anapa begins on June 1st. Some sandy beaches excluded from the contaminated zone, as well as all pebble beaches, will reopen to vacationers, authorities announced today.

As reported by "Kavkazsky Uzel," at the end of April, a kilometer-long stretch of sandy beach in the village of Vityazevo, used by the children's resort "Vita," the children's health complex "Zhemchuzhina Rossii," and the Miracleon resorts, was removed from the danger zone. Pebble beaches from Maly Utrish toward Central Beach were also removed from the emergency zone. On May 29th, the section from Lachebny Beach to the Bimlyuk children's sanatorium was removed from the danger zone. Thus, 15 beaches in Anapa have received the necessary permits for operation after being cleaned of fuel oil and refilled with new sand. Another 29 beaches, prepared for opening at the start of the swimming season, are undergoing assessment.

Mayor Svetlana Maslova announced the opening of Anapa's beaches today on her Telegram channel.

"The swimming season officially begins in Anapa tomorrow. All beaches removed from the danger zone will be open for swimming starting June 1st. 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," the post stated.

Swimming at the remaining sandy beaches will be permitted in stages, the official added. "As work progresses to fill the beaches with clean sand and subsequently remove them from the danger zone," she explained.

Officials have pushed ahead with beach renovations despite concerns from activists and environmentalists.

As a reminder, the Kuban office of Rospotrebnadzor stated that water samples from areas where new sand has been added comply with oil product content, unlike areas where imported sand has not yet been added.

Activists are concerned that the quality of the sand being used to fill Anapa's beaches differs markedly from the sand found in the dunes. This could damage the city's reputation as a resort, they noted.

Earlier, the Ministry of Economic Development called for accelerating the replenishment of sand on Anapa's beaches to increase the number of tourists compared to 2025. Telegram users noted that the sand resembles clay and risks worsening the condition of the beaches. The sand from the quarry in the Temryuk district is very similar in composition to beach sand, and importing it is the only effective way to restore the beaches and restore a full resort season, the mayor countered.

Following the fuel oil spill in the Kerch Strait, Rospotrebnadzor (the Federal Service for Surveillance on Consumer Rights Protection and Human Wellbeing) has declared 141 beaches in Anapa and nine beaches in the Temryuk district unsuitable for recreation. In 2025, due to the fuel oil spill, 60% fewer tourists visited Anapa than in 2024. Due to a record drop in revenue, Anapa's sanatoriums and children's camps are teetering on the brink of closure.

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. Additionally, 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".