Ukraine warns Russian tourists to avoid ‘unpleasantly hot’ Crimea

Ukraine’s Defense Ministry published a post on Twitter yesterday, taunting Russian tourists visiting the Crimean Peninsula, that stated that “Unless they want an unpleasantly hot summer break, we advise our valued Russian guests not to visit Ukrainian Crimea.” 

The weeping tourist-mocking post was issued following the deadly Ukrainian attack on Russia’s Saki Air Base in Crimea that houses a Russian naval aviation unit assigned to the Black Sea Fleet. The attack on the base killed at least one person and wounded eight. Some considerable damage to base infrastructure and Russian combat jets parked there was also reported.

Russian officials have vehemently denied that the air base was attacked by the Ukrainian forces, insisting instead that the explosions were caused by an ‘accidental detonation’ of ammunition.

Earlier in the war, Russian officials used the same explanation to explain the sinking of the ‘Moskva’ (Moscow) missile cruiser – the largest Russian warship to be sunk in wartime since the end of World War II and the first Russian flagship sunk since the 1905 Russo-Japanese War.

Ukraine said that their forces fatally damaged the ship with two R-360 Neptune anti-ship missiles, while Russia insisted that the cruiser sank in stormy seas after a fire caused munitions to explode.

The Ukrainian MoD’ Crimea post also included a video set to Bananarama’s ‘Cruel Summer’ hit song.

The video shows the scenic shots of the famous global tourist destinations, explosions erupting at Russian Saki Air Base earlier this week and the footage of Crimean beachgoers fleeing the air base blasts, with large plumes of smoke seen in the background as the they scramble to safety.

“You had a few options this summer: Palm Jumeirah Beaches, Antalya Resorts, Cuban Cabanas. You chose Crimea; big mistake. Time to head home,” the video warns.

Russia’s Travel Industry Association, attempted to counter Ukraine’s post by stating that “according to preliminary information, the explosion happened far away from the tourist zone.” There were no casualties among visitors, Russian tourist body added.