The sea flaunts: what treasures did the volunteers find when cleaning the shores
Soviet pistols and submachine guns, antique books, antique money, and anchors have been found by volunteers cleaning coasts across Russia since 2023. This was told to Izvestia by the Analytical Center of the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment. The weapons should be handed over to the police, and the historical finds should be returned to the museum, the experts recalled. However, if this is not done, the liability may be not only administrative, but also criminal. What else the volunteers found and in which cases it is possible to keep the finds for yourself — in the Izvestia material.
What do the volunteers find?
Almost 95 thousand cubic meters of garbage — that's about 38 Olympic pools — were removed from the shores of the seas and rivers in 2025 by volunteers as part of the All-Russian campaign "Water of Russia". As the Analytical Center of the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment of Russia told Izvestia, more than 1.3 million people joined the campaign this year, while just over 900,000 volunteers took part in 2019.
Among the unusual finds, for example, a TT pistol (Tula Tokarev), created by Soviet designer Fyodor Tokarev, was discovered in Ryazan. The weapons were handed over to the police, the curators of the action clarified. A schoolboy from the Sakhalin region found a glass medical bottle from Japan, which is about a hundred years old. After consulting with the Japanese, it turned out that the pharmacy that produced it is still operating today.
— I went to the seaside with my parents after a severe storm. While cleaning, I accidentally saw something flash in the water. It turned out to be a small bottle with Japanese characters. The parents found experts who helped us find out her approximate age," said a 12-year-old volunteer.
He added that the find was given to the museum.
Another example is that divers Oleg Annenkov and Alexey Chekadanov lifted four Shpagin submachine guns from the bottom of the Seim River near Rylsk during a clean—up day.
"In 1943, there were battles with the Nazis for a foothold near Rylsk, so the volunteers were ready for unusual finds," the organizers of the action said. — In addition to scraps of nets, wreckage and weapons from the time of the Second World War, an old anchor from a navigation buoy was lifted from the bottom.
Other finds from the depths include a bank with preserved Soviet coins, 19th—century books in French, and a Soviet-era color television.
One day, the volunteers even rescued Newt from prison.
— In Tunka National Park (Buryatia. During the event, volunteers discovered a Siberian anglerfish belonging to the newt species in a glass jar. The volunteers got uglozub out of prison and released him," the organizers of the action shared.
Not every treasure can be kept for yourself
Izvestia studied the trading platforms and found out the approximate value of gifts from the depths of Russian reservoirs.
Thus, the cost of books of the XIX century ranges from 1.5 thousand to 70 thousand rubles. And the price for rare collectible coins in good condition reaches 50 thousand. However, in many cases, the cost is conditional and depends on how much money collectors are willing to pay for the product.
It is not always possible to keep the found item, lawyer Evgeny Stegantsev told Izvestia.
— If the owner cannot be identified, then it becomes the property of the owner of the site and the finder in equal shares, — he noted.
According to lawyer Marina Starchak, the legislation prescribes what actions a person should perform when finding an artifact.
— If the finder of a valuable item received it by accident, then the law obliges him to contact the local police or prosecutor's office. First, it is necessary to take a photo of the item itself, as well as its location, make an inventory, and preferably find witnesses to sign the discovery act," she said.
According to Article 233 of the Civil Code of the Russian Federation, valuable objects buried in the ground or otherwise hidden are considered to be treasures. It is important that the owner cannot be identified.
— If the treasure has cultural and historical value, then by law it belongs to the state. The finder has the right to receive 50% of the value of the item after the assessment of the examination, which is carried out after the transfer of the valuable item to the state authorities, — added Marina Starchak.
According to her, administrative and even criminal liability is provided for concealing the find, depending on the value of the object.
However, as the expert emphasized, they will not be held accountable for finding small amounts of money and items that are not cultural values. For example, modern jewelry can be taken for yourself if there are no precious metals and stones in them.
— You can freely dispose of these items — sell, donate, or inherit. In order to make sure that there is no historical or cultural value, you need to contact independent experts," the lawyer added.
One discarded napkin harms the entire ecosystem
According to Maxim Tokarev, an ecologist and member of the All-Russian ecological movement Ecosystem, even a discarded napkin can have disastrous consequences for the entire ocean.
— It may seem that one wet wipe left on the shore will not harm the whole ocean. But in fact, it can start a chain reaction: poison the water, get into the stomach of animals and lead to their death. All this destroys the delicate balance of ecosystems," the expert emphasized.
According to him, industrial and municipal solid waste causes the greatest damage to water bodies, but plastic is the most terrible.
— Plastic waste, especially bags, bottles and lids, pose a double threat. Marine life often mistakes them for food, which leads to their death. Animals also get entangled in them, losing the opportunity to swim and hunt," the ecologist added.
He stressed that any debris in the water is potentially fatal for residents of the depths. As an example, the ecologist cites birds that feed their chicks with plastic caps. As well as turtles mistaking packages for jellyfish. Or dolphins entangled in discarded fishing nets.
According to the ecologist, it is the ocean that produces more than half of our oxygen, and the consequences of the smallest mistakes can lead to global problems.
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