For the millions of tourists who usually head to the “Russian Florida” for their summer holidays, there will be a nasty surprise awaiting them this year.
The Ukrainian military is ramping up strikes against Russian-occupied Crimea, causing a crisis for locals and visitors on the peninsula as Kyiv seeks to drive Vladimir Putin to the negotiating table.
Ukraine’s troops have used domestically produced “Flamingo” missiles and data-enabled drones to target oil facilities, road and rail corridors, ferries, key bridges and other infrastructure in and around Crimea, forcing Russian authorities to suspend fuel sales to the public and announce a total ban on children’s summer camps this week.
The Ukrainian defence minister, Mykhailo Fedorov, warned last week that “for the Russians, the real hell is just beginning”, with President Volodymyr Zelensky sharing footage of Kyiv’s forces launching co-ordinated strikes across the peninsula on social media.
The Ukrainians have been targeting Crimea since the start of the full-scale invasion, but advances in missile and drone tech mean they can now focus on a place dear to many Russians’ hearts. Tourists and locals have been using social media to complain about the impact of the strikes.
