Fighter jets and warships: Russians get a taste of Crimea summer vacation

Sitting on a rock in a white bikini by clear Black Sea waters on the outskirts of Sevastopol, Rumyantseva looks up as a Russian fighter jet whizzes through the perfectly blue sky.The front is around 300 kilometres (190 miles) north of Sevastopol -- Crimea's largest city and home to the Russian Black Sea fleet.Moscow's intervention in Ukraine, the onset of Western sanctions, severed air links with Europe and mounting economic troubles at home have made a lot of popular tourist destinations in Europe and elsewhere off limits to Russian tourists.Russia's balmy Black Sea coast and Crimea have become hard to reach due to the closure of airspace in the south over the fighting in Ukraine.Rumyantseva said there were rumours the bridge could be blown up and that "many were worried", but the family decided to risk it anyway.- 'People are scared' -Aside from the ships and occasional jet sounds, few signs pointed to the full-scale military campaign next door.In the city centre, Russian patriotic music rang out and souvenirs featuring the letter Z -- a symbol of Moscow's forces fighting in Ukraine -- were offered to visitors."It seems like it is mainly locals here," said 28-year-old Anna Zaluzhnaya, who works in the food industry, as she lounged in the sun.Albert Agagulyan, 69, runs a small kebab joint on a beach outside Sevastopol."People are not coming here because they are scared," he added.Crimea borders the southern Ukrainian region of Kherson -- now controlled by Moscow -- and the southeastern region of Zaporizhzhia -- partially occupied by the Russian army -- is also nearby.While some prefer not to discuss politics, locals like Viktor Borodulin say they have been closely following Moscow's military campaign in Ukraine.Borodulin waxed nostalgic for the Soviet past and lit up when he spoke of the possibility of buying fruit and vegetables from Moscow-occupied southern Ukraine. "For me, it is a great joy."   ... Via news.com.au — Australia’s leading news site https://www.news.com.au