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This is Svetlana Bronnikova from the independent media outlet 7x7. For a long time, Primorsko-Akhtarsk remained one of the coziest corners of Krasnodar Krai. A small town of just 30,000 people on the coast of the Sea of Azov attracted thousands of families from across Russia. It didn't have the same buzz as Sochi, but it offered a warm sea, fresh fish, and peace and quiet. Today, however, the town lives in a completely different reality. In July, fuel oil was discovered along its coastline for the first time, while news of drone attacks, sabotage, and high-profile court cases has become part of everyday life. 

Estimated reading time: 5 minutes

"Quiet and Safe": How the Resort Lost Its Greatest Advantage

Vacationers and property owners alike used to describe Primorsko-Akhtarsk as "family-friendly, cozy, charming, and up-and-coming." Many preferred the Sea of Azov to the Black Sea, believing it was a much better place for children.

"The Sea of Azov is shallow, warm, and safe. There are no shipping lanes, no currents, and no large-scale wastewater discharges from private households. At a time when the Black Sea seems to be facing one disaster after another, the Sea of Azov is just what families with children need," wrote Alena, who was selling her house near the coast, in May.

"There's nowhere near the same buzz as in Sochi or Adler," confirmed Arina, a mother of three.

But in July, the town lost its status as an environmentally clean resort. Fuel oil was discovered along the coastline and on the waterfront for the first time. Around 100 people were deployed to clean up the spill, and one of the beaches was closed. Environmentalists warn that such spills are far more dangerous for the shallow, warm Sea of Azov than for the Black Sea.

As environmentalist Evgeny Simonov explains, the sea's shallow waters prevent petroleum products from sinking into the depths.

"The damage caused by large-scale pollution from comparable sources and discharge volumes is likely to be much greater in the Sea of Azov than in the Black Sea. The volume of water available to dilute petroleum products is dozens of times smaller, and there is virtually no chance that any of them will disappear into the depths for good."

Earlier, pollution in Anapa and Tuapse sent tourists flocking to the Sea of Azov, triggering a surge in maritime traffic. Now, however, vacationers are canceling their trips, and the town risks losing the tourist season altogether.

Drone Launches and Return Fire: A Resort Town at War

A military airfield is located on the northwestern outskirts of Primorsko-Akhtarsk. Attack aircraft and drones are regularly launched from there toward Ukraine.

According to the OSINT channel Strategichna Aviatsiya, the airfield was significantly expanded in early 2026. The number of drones stationed there increased from 48 to 167, while eight launch pads make it possible to launch more than 100 drones simultaneously.

As a result, the town regularly comes under return fire. In July 2024, a drone attack left two girls injured, one of them fatally. It was the first child killed in southern Russia since the start of the war. The town was also left without electricity for an extended period.

A major fire broke out at the military base in May 2026. Residents reported hearing explosions, and roads out of the town were blocked. Media outlets reported that the blaze was caused by sabotage carried out by the Kuban Partisan Movement and that the wounded were evacuated overnight to Krasnodar.

In July 2026, debris from a downed drone fell at nine locations across the town, damaging residential buildings.

Meanwhile, residents whose homes and vehicles had been damaged back in 2024 waited six months for compensation. They ultimately had to go to court, filing 19 lawsuits on behalf of 41 people.

The Bronze Soldier, 250 Million Rubles, and an Elderly Woman

At the same time, Primorsko-Akhtarsk has become the scene of a telling confrontation between the authorities and local residents.

In 2023, a monument to the "hero of the special military operation" (the war in Ukraine) was unveiled in the town center. Maksim Bondarenko, who was serving as district head at the time, said the sculpture embodied "the image of a Russian soldier standing alone against all the world's evil." The post was later deleted, but Bondarenko did not stop going after his critics.

In 2024, the official sued 80-year-old pensioner Margarita Belykh after she wrote on social media that the district head "lies as easily as he breathes." The court ordered her to pay Bondarenko 85,000 rubles (about USD 1,060) in installments. For Belykh, whose monthly pension was 32,000 rubles and who spent 21,000 of it on medication, the ruling was a devastating financial blow.

It later emerged that prosecutors had frozen Bondarenko's assets worth 250 million rubles. Bondarenko, however, insisted that money was not the reason for the lawsuit, calling Belykh "a tool in the hands of interested parties."

What Lies Ahead for Primorsko-Akhtarsk?

Kuban activist Vitaliy Votanovskiy has argued that people will only fully grasp what is happening when they are hit by severe economic hardship.

"Roughly speaking, when there's nothing left in the fridge and people have to live off grass... If living standards keep declining slowly, we'll turn into North Korea, where people don't ask themselves why they live the way they do."

In 2026, Russia has already entered a fuel crisis caused by attacks on energy infrastructure. Gasoline, transport, and food prices are rising. Primorsko-Akhtarsk has found itself at the epicenter of several crises at once: military, environmental, and social. Whether this quiet family resort turns into a closed military town with a devastated ecosystem is something only time will tell.