Authorities failed to clean up the fuel oil spill in Krasnodar Krai, experts say.

Greenpeace experts believe that even nine days after the accident, Russian authorities have failed to organize coastal cleanup efforts and prevent oil spills from the sunken tankers. They fear that the cleanup will be carried out pro forma, only in prominent locations for reporting purposes. The collected fuel oil will then be buried nearby, leading to secondary pollution.

The fuel oil spill currently extends for 80 kilometers. Thousands of people and equipment are needed. Regional authorities are responsible for the work, but they lack the resources and skills to deal with such consequences. The shortage of personnel was also noted. correspondent "NeMoskvy" was working on the site. However, the already collected bags of oil products were not removed in time: they leaking again, and some of them are washed into the sea.

Environmentalists believe the problem was exacerbated by the late start of the work: fuel oil contaminated the sand to a depth of tens of centimeters. Because of this, the sand-oil mixture also needs to be disposed of, but the region lacks the capacity to process such a volume of waste. Greenpeace recalls that during a similar accident in 2007, the mixture was simply buried without observing environmental regulations.

Furthermore, the safety of volunteers is neglected. Most of them work without respirators or wear masks inappropriate for the job, which could increase the risk of harm from the toxic compounds contained in the fuel oil.

"The Russian leadership, which has taken no measures to ensure safe shipping since the last accident in 2007, is once again demonstrating indifference to the consequences of its actions. The current Russian regime is the main beneficiary of the oil trade. Dependence on fossil fuels and the war financed by these funds are the real root of the problem, not the crew's error," commented Anna Yezhak, a Greenpeace expert.
Central and Eastern Europe.

The most likely consequences of the disaster include the death of wildlife and the accumulation of toxic substances in bottom sediments and aquatic organisms. Even in cleaned areas, oil residues can persist for many years. At high concentrations, they will negatively impact the environment.