April 29, 2026

Black Rain of War


Black Rain of War
The black coast of the Black sea. The Russian Life files.

​​On April 20, an oil rain fell on the Black Sea coast. Several districts of the city of Tuapse were covered in an oily film and small black pellets: the remains of burnt oil.

This was all the result of a fire at an oil terminal caused by a strike from a Ukrainian drone.

Tuapse is in Krasnodar Krai, and is a well-known industrial port on the Black Sea. It also has a thriving resort industry. As reported by Deutsche Welle, since mid-April the city has been subjected to a series of drone strikes, resulting in several deaths. Following an April 16 attack, a fire broke out at an oil refinery, and a large oil slick was discovered in the sea. On April 20, strikes resumed, this time hitting oil storage facilities. It took several days to bring the open flames under control. Another attack on April 28 started the flames once more.

As oil rains repeat, the city is shrouded in acrid smoke that is hazardous to health, and in some areas the concentration of harmful substances is two to three times the norm. Residents of Tuapse are posting photos on social media of the polluted coastline, as well as dead birds and fish; they complain that they do not know how to clean their own dogs and cats.

Yevgeny Vitishko, a well-known environmental activist from Krasnodar and former political prisoner, described the situation as “the region’s worst disaster” in recent times, one that could continue to have a negative impact on the environment for several years. Chemists warn that the combustion products contain polyaromatic compounds, including carcinogens. The smoke has already covered much of the coastline, including popular resort areas such as Sochi and Anapa. 

Vladimir Putin finally mentioned the situation almost two weeks after it arose. “This could potentially lead to serious environmental consequences, but the governor… has just reported that there is no serious danger at present,” said the Russian president.

A brilliant metaphor for the behavior of the Russian authorities was a tree-planting event organized by the Tuapse prosecutor’s office right in the midst of the fires. More than a dozen men and women in uniform gathered on the famous plane-tree avenue that runs along Karl Marx Street in the center of the city. They planted young plane trees and posted photos digging up the ground and smiling at the camera against a backdrop of new trees, while menacing black smoke rises into the sky behind them. “The alley is set to become even greener,” the press office announced, also highlighting “the importance of preserving nature, history and memory.”

Officials planting trees amid oil fires.
Smoky planting ceremony. / VKontakte

 

You Might Also Like

Paint the Coast Black
  • January 09, 2025

Paint the Coast Black

Krasnodar Krai and Sevastopol declared a state of emergency after a Kerch Strait oil spill.
Cleaning up Kerch Strait Oil Spill
  • December 25, 2024

Cleaning up Kerch Strait Oil Spill

A massive oil spill in the Kerch Strait has polluted miles of shoreline in Russia’s Krasnodar Oblast, killing birds and dolphins.
Like this post? Get a weekly email digest + member-only deals

Some of our Books

The Moscow Eccentric
December 01, 2016

The Moscow Eccentric

Advance reviewers are calling this new translation "a coup" and "a remarkable achievement." This rediscovered gem of a novel by one of Russia's finest writers explores some of the thorniest issues of the early twentieth century.

The Little Humpbacked Horse
November 03, 2014

The Little Humpbacked Horse

A beloved Russian classic about a resourceful Russian peasant, Vanya, and his miracle-working horse, who together undergo various trials, exploits and adventures at the whim of a laughable tsar, told in rich, narrative poetry.

How Russia Got That Way
September 20, 2025

How Russia Got That Way

A fast-paced crash course in Russian history, from Norsemen to Navalny, that explores the ways the Kremlin uses history to achieve its ends.

Survival Russian
February 01, 2009

Survival Russian

Survival Russian is an intensely practical guide to conversational, colloquial and culture-rich Russian. It uses humor, current events and thematically-driven essays to deepen readers’ understanding of Russian language and culture. This enlarged Second Edition of Survival Russian includes over 90 essays and illuminates over 2000 invaluable Russian phrases and words.

A Taste of Chekhov
December 24, 2022

A Taste of Chekhov

This compact volume is an introduction to the works of Chekhov the master storyteller, via nine stories spanning the last twenty years of his life.

At the Circus
January 01, 2013

At the Circus

This wonderful novella by Alexander Kuprin tells the story of the wrestler Arbuzov and his battle against a renowned American wrestler. Rich in detail and characterization, At the Circus brims with excitement and life. You can smell the sawdust in the big top, see the vivid and colorful characters, sense the tension build as Arbuzov readies to face off against the American.

Little Golden Calf
February 01, 2010

Little Golden Calf

Our edition of The Little Golden Calf, one of the greatest Russian satires ever, is the first new translation of this classic novel in nearly fifty years. It is also the first unabridged, uncensored English translation ever, and is 100% true to the original 1931 serial publication in the Russian journal 30 Dnei. Anne O. Fisher’s translation is copiously annotated, and includes an introduction by Alexandra Ilf, the daughter of one of the book’s two co-authors.

93 Untranslatable Russian Words
December 01, 2008

93 Untranslatable Russian Words

Every language has concepts, ideas, words and idioms that are nearly impossible to translate into another language. This book looks at nearly 100 such Russian words and offers paths to their understanding and translation by way of examples from literature and everyday life. Difficult to translate words and concepts are introduced with dictionary definitions, then elucidated with citations from literature, speech and prose, helping the student of Russian comprehend the word/concept in context.

Marooned in Moscow
May 01, 2011

Marooned in Moscow

This gripping autobiography plays out against the backdrop of Russia's bloody Civil War, and was one of the first Western eyewitness accounts of life in post-revolutionary Russia. Marooned in Moscow provides a fascinating account of one woman's entry into war-torn Russia in early 1920, first-person impressions of many in the top Soviet leadership, and accounts of the author's increasingly dangerous work as a journalist and spy, to say nothing of her work on behalf of prisoners, her two arrests, and her eventual ten-month-long imprisonment, including in the infamous Lubyanka prison. It is a veritable encyclopedia of life in Russia in the early 1920s.

About Us

Russian Life is the 31-year-old publication of an award-winning publishing house that also creates books, and other products for Russophiles the world over.

Latest Posts

Our Contacts

Russian Life
73 Main Street, Suite 402
Montpelier VT 05602

802-223-4955