Since a drone attack and repeated incidents this summer, the war seems more concrete in Crimea. On August 23, the Ukrainian President, Volodymyr Zelensky, even affirmed that “everything started with Crimea, and everything will end with Crimea”, putting the nationality of the peninsula back on the table. Because eight years ago, the local population had voted for the annexation to Russia by 96% during a referendum considered illegitimate by the international community. Reportage.
A warm breeze, an azure blue sea that laps the fine sandy beaches, on which carefree tourists laze on their towels, a setting similar to any European seaside resort in summer. Boat tour, parachute, festivals, there is something for everyone. Only the absence of children’s cries suggests the beginning of autumn.
Yet, here in Crimea, it’s more like May, judging by the grandiose scarlet paintings on the walls celebrating May 9, the date of the end of World War II in Russia. These murals seem to want to recall the favorite adage of the Russians: “Russia always wins”, as if to reassure the locals, after two explosions which shook the peninsula in the first half of August.
But once the smoke and the first scare have dissipated, residents say they no longer feel fear. “We have a solid air defense,” reassures Eva, a waitress in a cafe on the beach in Eupatoria, where the sky darkened a few weeks earlier. In the shade of the cafe, usually dark with people, only a few customers are hydrating. “This year is poor, there are almost half as many tourists as usual, regrets the young girl. Not out of fear, we all trust Putin’s protection, but the closure of airspace has greatly affected tourism. »
Almost daily, air defenses go off in the Crimean skies, but tourists prefer to take it lightly. “For me, the fighter planes in the sky are almost a real entertainment in their own right,” laughs Marina, a tourist from Saint Petersburg who came to spend her holidays in Saki with her children. “Where else would I see them so close?” »
Not wanting to cancel planned and prepaid vacations for months, this family, like many others, reached Crimea after days of driving, crossing the famous Kerch bridge, “one of our greatest pride” , which President Vladimir Putin inaugurated with great fanfare in 2018. Connecting the peninsula with the rest of Russia, it has been under the sights of the Ukrainian army since the start of the war.
Underhand reproaches
Periodically, in the cities of Crimea – particularly in Sevastopol – pro-kyiv activists of the “yellow ribbon” stick on buildings, benches and trees leaflets with the inscription in yellow letters “Crimea is Ukrainian”, and tie ribbons of the same color. The August 16 explosion of ammunition at a Russian military base near Djankoy, in northern Crimea, would also be “an act of sabotage”, according to Putin’s army.
Mistrust is king in the neighborhoods of Novofedorivka, which suffered from the explosions this summer, the slightest criticism of the Russian authorities is seen as treachery. “I took a wave of hatred from the neighbors when I mentioned on television that the governor’s arrival was window dressing! Yet, what has been done so far? Nothing, nothing at all,” grumbles Oleg, a resident of the town on the west coast of Crimea. He says he was the only one who devoted himself to picking up broken glass in the streets and regluing the windows with plastic, without the municipality getting active.
One can then guess the criticisms of the eight years under Vladimir Putin only in the snatches of neighborhood chatter: the prices of products, which have risen while their quality has fallen, the low pensions and the difficult employability, typical of Russian regions. Many also complain that only one bank operates here; Russia has closed the Ukrainian branches, without the Russian banks wanting to invest for fear of Western sanctions.
“Crimea is Russian”
All concede that many things still need to be improved, but most prefer to retain only the positive. Moscow has invested several hundred billion rubles in the development of tourism, which sustains the peninsula, to make it competitive with foreign countries. From now on, “in the high season, it is possible to earn more here than in the capital”, explains Galina, a waitress in the summer in her hometown, Saki, and a student the rest of the year. She remembers the bumpy roads, full of potholes, of her childhood. “Under the Russian government, the roads have been rebuilt, and now we drive quietly. Crimea has become very beautiful in these few years! We are delighted! Everywhere in Crimea, quays have been built, beaches renovated and squares cleaned up.
Whatever happens, we are Russian and Russian only.
This bubbling of the peninsula can be guessed by the incessant road traffic. Investing in Crimea has also brought employment there. “Now Russians have several cars, whereas under Ukraine many couldn’t afford one,” boasts Evegeniy, a pensioner near the town of Jankoy. “And then, we know that Russia worries about us and protects us. Ukraine totally neglected us! We didn’t matter to him! »
Most, moreover, fondly remember the 2014 referendum. “It was a real day of celebration! The whole neighborhood went to vote, even the oldest and the sick,” recalls Ludmila, who returned from Moscow for the occasion. In Crimea, she rents out rooms to vacationers in her big house. “Whatever happens, we are Russians and Russians only,” she says proudly.
One of the main reasons for the plebiscite was the kyiv regime’s attempts to restrict the Russian language. “Crimea is Russian” is almost a motto here: the inscription can be found on banners at the entrances to towns, on leaflets stuck to walls and on T-shirts in souvenir shops.
The majority seem to want to stay in Russia. The most daring are even ready to take up arms to defend this belonging to Russia, like Nikolai, a former soldier. “I am Ukrainian and I hate neo-Nazis. My grandparents died in the war, so I too am ready to fight to defend Russia, for you, for me and for a better future. »