Russian tourists flee Crimea after attack on landmark bridge

MOSCOW: In the run-up to Monday's attack on Russia's road and rail bridge to Crimea, state TV broadcast footage of long traffic jams in southern Russia as tourists waited in their cars for hours to cross over to start their summer holidays.

After explosions tore through the road bridge, killing a couple who had planned to holiday in Crimea and wounding their daughter, it broadcast traffic jams going in a different direction as tourists tried to drive home through Russian-controlled southern Ukraine, territory that Kyiv is fighting to take back.

State-run news agency RIA said a tailback of more than 5 km (3 miles) had formed as Russian tourists made for home - using the Chonhar bridge, which was briefly put out of action by a missile attack last month.

Moscow blamed the attack on the Crimean bridge, the second since Russia sent its armed forces into Ukraine, on Kyiv. Ukraine did not officially claim responsibility, but Ukrainian media said Ukrainian security services had deployed maritime drones.

The Russian-appointed governor of Ukraine's Kherson region, Vladimir Saldo, told state television that air defence and other security measures would be stepped up on the overland corridor to Crimea.

But it remains to be seen whether this will reassure the tourists whom the state has been trying to attract to the Black Sea peninsula, which Russia seized and unilaterally annexed from Ukraine in 2014.

At a time when Russians' options to holiday in the West are limited because of visa bans and flight restrictions, the attack deals a blow to the idea, pushed by Moscow, that a peninsula famed for its rugged landscape, scenic bays, warm weather and wines can be enjoyed safely.

HOLIDAY CANCELLATIONS MOUNT UP

Kyiv says Russian tourists - more than 9 million of whom visited in 2021 - have no business holidaying on seized territory, especially while Ukraine is being bombed.

Ukrainian drones have targeted Crimea for months, and Crimean hotels have been offering steep discounts to attract visitors. Monday's attack will not help.

"We have cancellations for the end of July and August," Elena Bazhenova, head of Crimea's Laspi tour operator, said in a statement. "We are persuading tourists not to make decisions based on emotions. We expect the situation to normalise."

Ilya Umansky, president of the Russian Union of Travel Industry, said he expected "significant" cancellations.

He said around 20,000 tourists had been nearing the end of holidays in Crimea and a further 20,000 were due to arrive soon.

Moscow has invested in improving the peninsula's infrastructure in a drive to develop tourism and showcase the ostensible advantages of belonging to Russia, even as the military's footprint grows.

The 19-km (12-mile) Crimean Bridge, a prestige project for President Vladimir Putin, is the route most Russian tourists choose to reach the peninsula, as well as a supply route for the Russian army in Ukraine.

Keeping it operational is crucial - Crimea's main airport in Simferopol has long been closed for security reasons.

However, unverified video footage posted on social media suggests that at least one section of the road is down in one direction, although trains are still running.

Similar damage in October took several months to repair.

While there is a car ferry service across the Kerch Strait, its capacity is much more limited. There are also train services to Crimea from many cities in western Russia.