Crimean vacationers not deterred by war

At a beach in Sevastopol, five people were killed by falling rocket debris. Air raids and frontlines are not reasons for many Russians to cancel their Crimea vacation: On the occupied peninsula, they can "super" relax, they say in social networks. Only the cold Black Sea seems to dampen their carefree mood.

As burning rocket remnants began to fall from the sky, nine-year-old Sonja Awerjanowa was at the Sevastopol beach on the Crimean peninsula - just three kilometers from the Russian Air Force base Belbek. On Sunday, the Ukrainian armed forces attacked the annexed peninsula with rockets. The Russian air defense managed to shoot down these rockets, but did so over the beach, which was full of people during lunchtime and good weather. The debris fell into the water and onto the beach. They killed five people, including Sonja Awerjanowa.

Sonja's father, Oleg Awerjanow, is the deputy mayor of Magadan, a city on the Ochotsk Sea in the Far East of Russia. That a loyal bureaucrat like Awerjanow, who according to media reports served in the military for 18 years and today recruits young people for military service, decides to go on vacation on the nearly 11,000 kilometer distant peninsula, surprises many in Russia. However, many ask themselves why a man who, according to media reports, has served in the military for 18 years and today actively recruits young people for military service, chose a vacation on the Crimean peninsula.

Only in May were several combat jets destroyed or damaged at the Belbek Air Base; the Ukrainian armed forces attack targets on the Russian-occupied peninsula regularly - and Awerjanow was certainly aware of this. Despite the danger, he went to the beach with his family, located near a military object. With tragic consequences.

The Beaches Are Getting Crowded

The Awerjanows are not the only ones who decide to go on vacation on the peninsula despite the proximity to the frontlines and frequent air raids. Tourism on the occupied peninsula is booming. According to Russian statistics, over 1.32 million tourists have visited the peninsula since the beginning of this year - an increase of ten percent compared to the previous year. Hotels were reportedly 80 percent booked in June, before the high season began. After the latest attack, which caused alarm among many Russians and was described as a "terrorist attack" by the Kremlin, sales of trips to the Crimea dropped by 20 percent according to a Russian online travel magazine. At the same time, "there is no increase in cancellations, everything is within seasonal limits," said a travel agent to the portal "tourdom.ru".

Critical activists on the Crimean peninsula suspect, according to a report by the news portal "Krym-Realii", that the authorities are deliberately inflating the numbers to create an illusion of safety and normalcy and attract more tourists to the annexed peninsula. But even if that's true, photos and videos on social media show: The beaches on the Crimean peninsula are far from empty.

"Nothing is being bombed here, everything is in order"

At the day of the latest attack, a blogger on the Russian social network "Zen" published a video showing Utschkujewka beach a few minutes before the Ukrainian rocket launch. "Everything is fine, everything is quiet," he says, while numerous people are seen in the video staying at the beach. In the news, it is often claimed that Sewastopol is being bombed, but "nothing is being bombed here, everything is fine," the man says. "Perhaps something was bombed far away, a long time ago, but everything is great here."

Another video by another blogger shows full beaches - this time in Jalta. "Tourists HAVE NO FEAR and are massively going to Crimea," the clip says, which was posted on the Russian Facebook equivalent vk.com at the beginning of the week and was viewed more than 60,000 times. The pictures the blogger shows convey a carefree attitude with which the Russians are enjoying their vacation. People interviewed in the video are all "excited" and find their vacation in Jalta "super" and "quite cool". Affordable prices, good food, relaxed atmosphere, and mild weather are what tourists find "fantastic" on the occupied peninsula, according to the blogger. The only negative aspects mentioned by Russian tourists are the long journey and the relatively cold water: "Refreshing, but swimming can still be done."

Certainly, Ukrainian attacks may scare some Russians from a vacation on the Crimean peninsula. However, there are enough people who consider a vacation on the occupied peninsula safe and morally justifiable. A survey conducted by the travel portal "tourdom.ru" among its Telegram followers shows that, at least, more than half of the respondents consider Crimea unsafe for children's vacation. Sonja Awerjanowa's father probably belonged to the other half.

Despite the ongoing political tensions and regular Ukrainian attacks on the Crimea, Russia continues to attract a significant number of tourists, with over 1.32 million visitors recorded since the beginning of the year.
The atrocity at Sevastopol's beach, where five people, including a nine-year-old girl, were killed by falling rocket debris, did not deter many Russians from planning their vacations in Crimea, as they view it as a place for relaxation.
The Russian Kremlin and its authorities have been accused of inflating tourist numbers to create an illusion of safety and normalcy on the Crimean peninsula, which is under Russian occupation, to attract more visitors.
The attitude of many Russians towards Crimea as a vacation spot remains generally positive, with tourists praising its affordable prices, good food, relaxed atmosphere, and mild weather, despite some concerns about distance and the coldness of the Black Sea.