Vacationing Amidst Conflict: The Dark Reality of Russian Tourism in Occupied Ukrainian Resorts

Before the large-scale invasion by Russia, residents of the small resort town of Kyrylivka in Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia region initiated an online venture that focused on holidaying along the Sea of Azov. They shared tales about jellyfish, extreme sports, and holiday camps, and even live-streamed footage from the shoreline.

However, following the arrival of Russian forces in March 2022, the Kyrylivka.Ukr YouTube channel switched its content from tales of jellyfish to videos depicting fires, explosions, and shelling in the nearby city of Berdiansk. By the autumn of 2022, the channel had ceased uploads entirely.

Currently, it is pro-Russian bloggers who are generating content from the occupied Ukrainian resorts.

More than three years into Russia’s occupation of southern Ukraine, the country is marketing vacation spots in places like Kyrylivka and Berdiansk as part of a strategy to normalize its control over forcibly seized territories.

Occupying authorities anticipate welcoming 150,000 visitors to the Zaporizhzhia region and another 100,000 to the Kherson region this year, claiming they are working to revive Soviet-era health resorts, including those intended for recovering soldiers.

Russian state media is actively publishing enthusiastic guides to these seaside escapes, which they refer to as the «new regions.» Mariupol, a port city that was nearly destroyed during the 2022 Russian siege, has been labeled by propagandists as the «most popular resort» within Ukrainian territory.

This spring, the vice president of Russia’s Travel Agencies Alliance highlighted the beaches in newly occupied Ukrainian areas as «cleaner» and «less crowded» than traditional destinations like Crimea or the Russian Black Sea coast.

«The resort season will be organized properly, with quality service and without unnecessary concerns,” stated Vladimir Saldo, the Russian-appointed governor of the Kherson region, earlier this year.

In Telegram groups such as Vacations on the Sea of Azov, alongside listings for vacation rentals, there are also offers to meet sex workers, exchange hryvnias for rubles (and vice versa), and even purchase drugs.

Russian tourists, often hailing from areas near the Russian-Ukrainian border, can expect to pay approximately 2,000 rubles (around $22) per night in occupied Kyrylivka.

At the Avalon guesthouse, previously favored by Ukrainian visitors, rates are a bit higher at 2,200 rubles (about $28) per night. In the year prior to the war, 2021, the cost of a double room at Avalon ranged between 250 and 750 hryvnias (approximately $9 to $27) per person.

Irina, an employee at a guesthouse in Kyrylivka, asserts that the situation is “calm for now.”

«There are significantly more visitors here compared to last year. The beach near us has sand, and the water is shallow, making it family-friendly,» she told The Moscow Times, requesting her name be changed for safety.

Rooms at Irina’s guesthouse start at 900 rubles (around $10) per night. Each room features a private bathroom, refrigerator, TV, and air conditioning, and the guesthouse has a communal kitchen.

“If you’re not planning to cook, there’s a cafeteria nearby. I haven’t personally visited, but the guests who dined there said it was satisfactory,” she explained.

About an hour’s drive from Kyrylivka lies the port city of Berdiansk, which occupying authorities are also advertising as a holiday destination.

In Berdiansk, visitors can find accommodations priced as low as 700 rubles (roughly $8) per night for a bed in a triple room with a shared bathroom.

“But it’s a place with a grandma’s style,” remarked the manager of a guesthouse sharing the same name, using a common Russian phrase for lodgings with outdated decor and furnishings. “Very basic.”

There are also higher-end choices available, such as cottages with pools on the Berdiansk Spit.

“Everything is fully booked there at the moment,” the manager informed The Moscow Times. “It’s quite chaotic with many people. However, we have a nice barbecue area in the city center. It’s peaceful, though there are some jellyfish in the sea now.”

The transformation of the southeastern Ukrainian coastal region from a battlefield to a beach resort stands in sharp contrast to the destruction and oppression that accompanied Russia’s occupation.

Since Russia’s full-scale invasion, thousands of Ukrainians have been driven from their homes, and many now face the prospect of permanently losing property in regions under Russian control.

This spring in Mariupol, Russian authorities began confiscating homes belonging to Ukrainians who had either fled the conflict or perished in the fighting. To recover their apartments, owners must appear in Mariupol and go through a so-called “filtration” process.

“It’s a trap from every perspective,” Ivan Stupak, an advisor to the Ukrainian parliament’s national security committee, told The Moscow Times regarding the requirements Ukrainians must fulfill to maintain their home ownership.

“If a man returns, there’s a significant probability local police will detain him and interrogate him regarding connections to Ukrainian intelligence,” explained Stupak. “Re-registering property documents under occupation is viewed as collaboration with Russia under Ukrainian law.”

In the spring, Russia’s State Duma passed a bill in its first reading permitting authorities to confiscate property from individuals who have left Russia, including those in occupied areas, and have spoken out «against the country’s interests.» This law would apply to both Russian citizens and foreigners.

Since last year, authorities in Berdiansk have offered direct tours from Russian cities such as Taganrog, Rostov-on-Don, and Novocherkassk.

Currently, a three-day package starts at 12,000 rubles (around $130) and includes hotel accommodations, museum visits, and meals.

Tour organizers mention the wartime curfew in the Zaporizhzhia region and a 5 p.m. cutoff for alcohol sales but do not reference the ongoing conflict.

In other scenarios, Russian tourists transit through the occupied territories on their way to Crimea. On RuTube, Russia’s domestic alternative to YouTube, vloggers share videos with «helpful tips» for navigating military checkpoints and reaching the occupied peninsula by car.

“The GPS stops working in Mariupol, but that shouldn’t be an issue,” says one blogger.

Stupak informed The Moscow Times that reclaiming occupied territories is currently unattainable for Ukraine.

“At this moment, we simply lack the necessary strength. The Ukrainian Armed Forces have a primary objective: to halt Russia’s advance,” he clarified.

“Previously, a significant portion of Ukraine had easy access to the sea—within four to five hours. Now, the sight of Russian tourists occupying that area only adds to the pain for Ukrainians,” he lamented.

In a recent video report, a correspondent for the Russian tabloid Komsomolskaya Pravda stands on a beach near Berdiansk, smiling for the camera.

“What else is there to say? Behind me is the Sea of Azov—crystal clear!” the correspondent declares.

In the comments section, one viewer responds: “You cannot build happiness on someone else’s suffering.”