On April 29, the outlet Anapa Region published an “exclusive interview” with Krasnodar Krai Governor Veniamin Kondratyev. The article said the fire situation in the city was under control and invited tourists to come on vacation despite the environmental situation following strikes on the refinery and reports of “oil rains.”
The text also claimed that the fires at the Tuapse oil refinery, which began after attacks by Ukrainian drones, were no more than isolated “fire pockets.”
“There have been no serious ‘arrivals,’ I am stating this officially. And if there are some pockets of smoke, that is solely due to falling debris from the devices,” Kondratyev said.
The governor also invited tourists to visit Krasnodar Krai, saying the environmental situation in the region was stable.
“I invite everyone to come отдых with us. Hotels, beaches, children’s health resorts, everything is operating normally. Our sea, our mountains, and our sun are stronger than any information noise. Come and see for yourselves: life here is bustling, everything is wonderful,” the article said.
No later than the following morning, the item was deleted, although it remained available in a web archive. Today, Anapa Region told journalists at Vot Tak that the interview with the governor had appeared on the site as a result of a hack. The outlet also accused Vot Tak of spreading “fakes,” saying journalists had allegedly been “deliberately informed” about an interview published by “malicious actors.” The editors did not say who exactly hacked the site and posted the “fake” material.
Context. The day before, the terminal in Tuapse was attacked for the fourth time in a month. Today, the regional оперативный штаб reported that open burning had been extinguished. After previous strikes, air pollution, “black rain,” and an oil slick in the sea were recorded in Tuapse.