Mother of dead teenager reveals students were sent to clean up Black Sea oil spill in southern Russia in exchange for “help with exams”

Cover photo: Oleg Umarov / Komsomolskaya Pravda

The late Alexander Komin, a student at the Anapa Industrial College in southern Russia, was sent to help clean up oil spills on local beaches at the initiative of a faculty member, his mother, Elena Mamaeva, told the independent publication Agentstvo on Feb. 4.

The news comes after Komin was reported to have independently volunteered for the oil spill cleanup. Beaches surrounding the Black Sea — particularly those in Russia’s Krasnodar Krai — have been contaminated after the mid-December crash of two tankers carrying over 8,000 tons of fuel oil in the Kerch Strait. While Russian authorities have reportedly spent millions on funding cleanup efforts, the on-the-ground work, such as digging up oil-soaked sand and cleaning off oil-covered birds was carried out by thousands of local volunteers, many without the proper protective equipment.

Komin passed away from unknown causes overnight on Jan. 15, his college confirmed.

Pro-Kremlin Telegram news channels, citing no sources, previously claimed that Komin had volunteered to participate in cleanup on the day of his death. They also alleged that he suffered from chronic asthma and that forensic experts are examining whether exposure to toxic fumes from the oil spill may have proven fatal.

Komin’s cousin later told local media that he had volunteered to clean up the oil in Anapa, though it was unclear whether he had joined a group or acted independently. The cousin stressed that Komin was in good health and had no known medical conditions, saying, “He was healthy, he didn’t get sick.”