'Russians Flee From Crimea Forgetting Everything'

Developments on the peninsula after attacks on the bases of the occupiers.

The spectacular destruction of Russian military objects in occupied Crimea caused a real panic. The Crimean bridge has turned into a giant traffic jam due to the flow of "fugitives". The tourist season has been disrupted. Moreover, on the peninsula, the Russians began to sell off real estate, according to OBOZREVATEL.

Crimean 'Inviolability' Has Gone

Even on the first day of Russian full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Gauleiter of Crimea Sergei Aksyonov declared: “Not a single shell, not a single mine, not a single bullet hit the territory of Crimea. And it will not hit”. Now he was reminded of the words.

It was at least naive to count on this, given that during the years of occupation, Russia militarized the peninsula and actually turned it into a giant military base. As well as to believe the promises of the occupying authorities.

On the other hand, Russians were convinced of the inviolability of the sacred territory for them. They say: "Crimea is ours, Ukraine will not dare". However, the "red lines" were passed, and the illusions dissipated - explosions in Crimea are becoming common.

But it is important to understand: the Ukrainian army always delivers accurate strikes exclusively on enemy military targets, unlike the occupiers, who hit residential buildings, playgrounds, hospitals and schools.

President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky, in a video message, called on the inhabitants of Crimea not to approach the military facilities of the Russian army and all those places where they store ammunition and equipment, where they keep their headquarters. He noted: the less the troops of the aggressor country have the ability to kill Ukrainians and do evil, the sooner the war will end with the liberation of Ukraine.

Meanwhile, the occupying authorities are doing their best to convince tourists that “everything is ok” in Crimea, but no one believes it anymore.

Obstacle Fleeing

The flow of fugitives from the peninsula to Russia was a record one: on the day when the "bangs" occurred at the ammunition depot of a military base in the Dzhankoi district, almost 40,000 cars came to the Crimean bridge. It is easy to draw conclusions based on the fact that there are at least two people in the car, although more often there are 3-4 people there.

However, it was not only the huge flow of Russians that provoked traffic jams, but also the fact that those leaving were carefully examined.

“What to add: Russians are fleeing from Crimea forgetting everything. However, it is not so easy as we see. Previously, they were randomly searched at the entrance to the bridge, but now the occupiers carefully searched all cars, checked the documents of drivers and passengers, and conducted brutal interrogations. Moreover, these were not ordinary traffic cops, but FSB officers, according to the source of OBOZREVATEL in occupied Crimea.

In his opinion, Russian intelligence officers unsuccessfully “hunted” for Ukrainian saboteurs, but in the end they angered their own compatriots: “Tourists were already on the verge of hysteria, but they were added in full. I am sure that they will never come to Crimea again”.

The railway situation was not better: the departure from Simferopol and Sevastopol was cancelled “for security reasons,” because hundreds of irritated Russians languished at the stations.

Hundreds of Russians were stuck at the train station in Simferopol.

Tourism Is Over

"The tourist season on the peninsula is ruined," locals and employees of travel agencies believe. Many Russians have already cancelled their booked rooms both in the private apartments and in hotels and sanatoriums.

"The off-peak season will definitely fail as well (September, October. – Ed.). The hotels on the southern shore still have minimal chances, but they are also in fever. The number of cancellations per day has already exceeded 45%, and this is an unrealistically high number - this has never happened before. However, this is understandable: who wants to risk his life and what quiet rest can we talk about now?" said the source of OBOZREVATEL.

The so-called Ministry of Resorts and Tourism of the Republic of Crimea is trying to lure Russians to rest by all means, but this looks unconvincing.

“They attract people with free transfers to the place of arrival, early check-in and check-out, as well as 35% discounts for residents of the Southern Federal District (these are Chechnya, Dagestan, Rostov, Astrakhan and several other regions of the Russian Federation). They come up with some kind of culinary festivals, but against the backdrop of what is happening, all this is useless: even Russian state employees who have almost free vouchers refuse to go there” the Crimeans say.

Meanwhile, the occupying authorities have already “pressed down” the administrators of the Crimean social media groups: they were severely warned not to publish information that could “harm the tourist season”. But this did not work, the people “come off” in the comments in full.

Ukraine Will Come Back - It Is Necessary To Sell

A separate issue is the real estate market. According to locals, it is now “in stress”. According to them, on the day of the attacks on Russian military bases in the Dzhankoi and Simferopol regions of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea, more than 10,000 objects were put up for sale - and this is another record.

This figure is according to the most rough estimates, but offers continue to come. True, agencies and websites are full of ads for the sale of apartments and commercial buildings, but there are not a lot of buyers.

And who now dares to give money for a "risk object"? There is no longer any hope for tourists, so it will not work to recoup investments, for example, by renting. In addition, given the statements of the Ukrainian authorities about the inevitable de-occupation of Crimea, the buyer may lose everything. Of course, all real estate transactions made within the Autonomous Republic of Crimea or in Russia are illegal.

Allegedly Patriots

Russian artists who were going to earn extra money in Crimea also panicked. Many singers and dancers decided to cancel their tours after “something incomprehensible began to happen” with military bases on the peninsula.

“The funny thing is that Yaroslav Dronov, known by his stage name Shaman, was terribly scared. Patriotism is his actual "specialization". Dronov is presented as the “voice of the younger generation”, they are promoted by Kiselev and other propagandists, therefore it was ridiculous to listen to the hysteria of the “talented” manager who is “AFRAID!” after his words in a song: "I am Russian, I do or die. I am Russian, to spite the whole world,” the concert agency said on condition of anonymity.

According to the source of OBOZREVATEL, the Russian "patriot" planned his tour in Crimea starting with Yalta, Sevastopol, Simferopol and Evpatoria from August 21 to 25, but that's now in question. You can’t just cancel it: the singer will have to pay a penalty. It is quite expected that the singer "suddenly falls ill" and "reschedules" his concerts.

According to an employee of the agency, the tour of the Stavropol Drama and Ballet Theater of Alla Dukhova TODES is now also in question.

Meanwhile, unidentified persons put up leaflets warning of the next target in Crimea. It allegedly could be the Oktyabrskoye Russian military airfield.

Time will tell whether this is true or not, one thing is clear today: Ukraine is serious.