The area around the Russian resort of Anapa has been hit the hardest. Reservations at sanatoriums and children's camps there are being canceled, not only for the winter, but people don't believe the pollution will be contained this summer either.
"Parents don't want to send their children to the dangerous shore," writes the Telegram network "Kub Mash," and companies that paid for vacations for their employees are now demanding a refund.
In the Black Sea and the Kerch Strait near Crimea, one might first think of a war with Ukraine, but the reason for the wreck of two Russian tankers, Volgonjeft 212 and Volgonjeft 239, is far more banal.
Both dilapidated ships set sail in mid-December even though it was obvious that a storm was brewing, and waves two to three meters high were enough to wreck these old ships.
In mid-December, one broke in two and sank, while the other ran aground on the shore. The crew was rescued, but one member died of hypothermia.
Both tankers were loaded with fuel oil, which leaks into the sea: the sunken tanker, which was carrying 9.200 tons of fuel oil, has already leaked about 5.000 tons. Since it is M100 type fuel oil, it will sink to the bottom – when it is cold.
However, the oil slick continues to surface, and is already over 50 kilometers long. When the weather gets warmer, it will become even more pronounced.
Ecological disaster
Russia is not known for caring about its ecosystem anyway, and the proximity to the war front does not make the situation any better. The explanation from the Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations, which claims that this heavy oil cannot be recovered from the damaged ships, is fascinating.
This is simply not true: in 2002, the tanker Prestige with a similar cargo was wrecked off the coast of Spain, and its cargo was successfully recovered. However, it may require technology and assistance from the West that Russia is not prepared to seek at this time.
Although these tankers were not destroyed in the conflict, the consequences are being investigated by the Ukrainian War Environmental Consequences Group (UWEC). According to its member Oyten Simonov, it will take nature at least ten years to recover from this pollution.
"For certain animal species, this oil spill could have catastrophic consequences," the ecologist believes.
Greenpeace says that by early January, 32 dolphins had died from fuel oil from these tankers, while 1.355 dead birds had also been reported.
Ana Jerzak, an expert on Central and Eastern European ecosystems, warns that this will seriously threaten fish stocks, as well as other species: "In the long term, such oil spills poison seagrass, thereby destroying the basis for the survival of many organisms."
Volunteers take matters into their own hands
As the weather gets warmer, the consequences will become even more serious: "First, there will be an unpleasant smell, which can cause respiratory problems, and in the long term it can increase the risk of cancer," Simonov believes.
Ana Jerzak adds the danger of toxic fumes, allergic reactions and skin inflammation.
Despite the dangers, nearly ten thousand volunteers spontaneously organized themselves to save what could be saved. Most of them have protective equipment, and ecologist Yevgeny Vitishka claims that about 2.500 birds have been saved.
"That's about half of the birds that ended up in the fuel oil, which is more than usual. It's normal to save 10-12 percent."
Volunteers say their organization is funded by donations, and equipment is purchased with that money. Local hotels, for whom tourism is crucial, provide accommodation and food.
State institutions have promised help, but this is proving difficult, which is why volunteers are convinced that they are doing most of the work.
State “performances” for the cameras
The participation of state services is most often reduced to a show. In early January, representatives of the Ministry of Environmental Protection took about 160 cleaned birds, without consulting the volunteers, and released them "into freedom" in front of cameras.
The birds returned to the polluted shore and died.
The ministry claims that they were forced to take this step by their public relations experts.
After that, in the volunteer coordination center, one person is responsible solely for communicating with government services and preventing political interests from interfering with the cleanup process.
Volunteers believe that government services are more harmful than helpful: “When the disaster struck, I was amazed at how friendly people were to each other,” one of them testifies.
"Some brought the birds, others washed them, others got the equipment. It was wonderful to be a part of it."
But when state institutions got involved, everything became more complicated – from statistics to working methods.
The volunteers believe that the authorities are trying to cover up the scale of this disaster more than they are trying to solve the problem. Despite this, they continue their efforts because they believe they are doing something truly significant.
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