“What kind of idiot is vacationing in Crimea right now?” Fox host is publicly reprimanded – by his own mother

Crimea has been a popular holiday destination for Russians for many years. And although the front is currently less than 100 kilometers from the northernmost city of Armyansk, many Russians have again traveled to the illegally annexed Ukrainian peninsula this year.

Now, however, the suspected Ukrainian attack on the Crimean bridge near Kerch is causing frustration, as some Russians apparently had imagined their holiday differently. Apart from the route across Russian-occupied southern Ukrainian territories, the bridge is the only land connection from the Russian mainland to the peninsula. Now the damage to the bridge has ended prematurely or at least significantly hampered the vacation of some Russians.

Long traffic jams in front of the Crimean bridge

After the attack on the bridge, Russian authorities turned to the tourists still on the island and asked them to return to Russia through the occupied territories of Ukraine – a detour of 400 kilometers. “I ask the inhabitants and guests of the peninsula not to travel over the Crimean bridge for security reasons and to choose an alternative land route through the new regions for security reasons,” said Moscow-appointed Crimea governor Sergei Aksyonov.

Because: after the attack, access to the bridge was blocked, causing long traffic jams. A short time later, the first videos appeared, which also showed traffic jams from Crimea towards the Ukrainian region of Kherson. There, people reportedly waited for several hours.

Toilets and water at exorbitant prices

The changed return route angered some Russians, as evidenced by reports in Russian tourist chats. Anton Gerashenko, adviser to the Ukrainian Ministry of the Interior, translated some messages. Accordingly, one user wrote: «Information for those who want to leave Crimea by land. The main thing is to provide yourself with the necessary amount of water.” The person complained that local stores had raised water prices eight to ten times.

There are also problems with toilets. “Free toilets at gas stations are closed, they justify that by saying that the influx of people is too great.” The sanitary facilities can only be used for a fee of about five euros.

“What an Idiot You Must Be”

Mobile phone reception has also been disrupted, according to affected holidaymakers. Several users wrote that they had no reception on the detour. A user suggests downloading offline maps. In addition, you can buy special SIM cards at the checkpoints for around 20 euros, with which you also have reception in the occupied territories.

Some Russians, who have apparently stayed at home, react angrily. “Yesterday I thought what an idiot is now on vacation in Crimea. Well, the holiday will surely be remembered as they drive home across the front. They are disrupting our military’s logistics with traffic jams,” one user writes, adding swear words.

Another asks on a travel forum: “Those who really want to get to Crimea can drive through the new areas in military vehicles under the fire of Ukrainian artillery. We are waiting for feedback here.” “New territories” means the Ukrainian territories illegally annexed by Russia.

“Some only get it on the spot”

While Russian tourists who feel robbed of their holidays complain, understanding on the Ukrainian side is very limited. Some users respond with sarcasm, others with cynicism.

Ukrainian journalist Denis Trubetskoy points out on Twitter that Crimea is having its weakest tourist summer in years, but many Russians are still going there. Trubetskoy sees three reasons for this: prices have fallen sharply, state institutions often order holidays on the Black Sea peninsula, and some are unaware of how dangerous it is in Crimea. “Some people only realize when they get there that some beaches, for example, have been mined and therefore closed.”

Despite this, there still seems to be interest in traveling to Crimea. A 44-year-old Russian woman from the Arkhangelsk region told the Kremlin-critical news site “Meduza”: “We will definitely be back.” A user named Kirill gives a tip on the Telegram channel “Crimea-Bridge-Chat”: “You book a hotel near the bridge for the night, go there and sleep. Early the next morning [geht es dann] without traffic jams across the bridge to Crimea.”

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