The Ukrainian army has placed mines along the coast in the event of a Russian attack from the sea.
Once tourists gathered in Ukrainian Odessa resort to enjoy the beaches of the Black Sea, however now the white sand is full of mines due to the war with Russia and police patrol the places where paths have been created with wooden planks.
THE Ukrainian army placed mines along the coast in the event of a Russian attack from the sea after the Moscow invasion on February 24, blocking the entrances to the beaches with red and white stripes to ensure that no civilians will be injured.
The local economy in Odessa in southwestern Ukraine, already plagued by war, will be hit hard by its tourism industry this year. Residents can not imagine life in Odessa without the sea and beaches.
“We can not live without the sea. “If it were not for the sea, there would probably be no Odessa,” said 82-year-old Viktor Holchenko.
In early May, the Russian forces pounded the port with missiles, destroying buildings in Odessa.
Signs posted by the Ukrainian army warn residents not to approach the beaches where mines have been buried. What you see now from a seaside restaurant is a sign that reads’ Danger! Mines’.
An eyewitness to Reuters saw a family with a small child walking on a secluded beach while it was getting dark, defying the rules.
Other residents spread towels on paths made of wooden planks instead of on the beach to sunbathe.
“(The army) told us not to go there (to the beach),” said 18-year-old Kirillo Zinchenko. “Why go there? This is the summer we will have “.
Tourism in Odessa, once the driving force of the local economy, has dried up.
The local economy will be hit hard, said Oleksandr Babic, owner of a tourist office. “They are the hotels, the restaurants, the tourist items, all the services on the beaches. “These are things related to the cultural sector. I do not know how the city’s economy will survive without them.”
