Tourists once flocked to Ukraine’s resort town of Odessa to lounge on the Black Sea beaches, but the white sands are now mines due to the war with Russia and police patrol the boardwalks.
After occupying Moscow on February 24, the Ukrainian army placed mines on the beach in the event of a Russian amphibious attack and covered the beach entrances with red and white tape to ensure civilians were not harmed.
The local economy of the port city of Odessa in southwestern Ukraine, which is already wracked by war, will hit the tourism industry this year. Locals cannot imagine life in Odessa without sand and sea.
“We can’t live without the sea. Without the sea, it probably wouldn’t be Odessa,” said its 82-year-old resident, Viktor Holchenko.
In early May, Russian forces attacked the port with missiles and destroyed buildings in Odessa.
Signs issued by the Ukrainian military warn residents to stay away from beaches where mines are buried. A “Danger! Minas” sign is visible when viewed from a beachside restaurant.
A Reuters witness saw a family with a young child walking on a secluded beach, leaping into the sea after dark, defiantly the rules.
Other residents are laying beach towels on the boardwalks, not on the beaches, to sunbathe in their swimsuits.
“The armies told them not to go there[by the sea],” said 18-year-old Kyrylo Zinchenko. “Why are you going there? We’re here this summer.”
Tourism in Odessa, once the engine of the local economy, has come to a standstill.
Nataliia Humeniuk, spokesperson for the Southern military command, said: “We are aware that the tourist and entertainment component is an important element…
source: Noticias
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