Kiev journalist: In order not to suffocate in Kyiv, I’m going to Sevastopol
PolitNavigator continues to publish on its pages interviews with Ukrainian citizens who, despite the difficulties caused by the Ukrainian side when crossing the border, go to Sevastopol and Crimea on vacation. This time, Kiev journalist Alexandra Kryzhanovskaya, an employee of one of the largest newspapers in the Ukrainian capital, shared with us her impressions of the stay of Russian sailors in the city (this publication, which previously adhered to an anti-Maidan position, was once popular in Crimea).
Kryzhanovskaya is the pseudonym of our interlocutor. It is not possible to give his real name, because, alas, in today’s Ukraine neither the SBU nor the local Nazi public will pat him on the head for such interviews.
Therefore, we also do not report the name of the media where Alexandra works, we do not publish photos from her vacation - solely for reasons of safety of the journalist, who frankly told what Sevastopol means to her, how Crimea has changed over these two years, and how many cars with Kyiv numbers with her crossed the Ukrainian-Russian border.
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-What do Sevastopol and Crimea mean to you? Why did you come here on vacation now?
- Let's start with the fact that Crimea has been a favorite vacation spot for me since my youth. I tried to cheat on him with foreign resorts, but I always returned to my favorite places, which had become my native places. To friends who live here, to people close to me in spirit. And when, as a result of the “Jewish Bandera” coup in Ukraine in February 2014, Crimea set sail for home, I smeared tears and snot of joy down my cheeks, celebrating with the Crimeans their liberation.
And in the first summer after the “Crimean spring” there was no question for me: to go or not to go to Crimea? In July 2014, my husband, daughter, and I got into the car and rushed along the well-worn route. Of course, my acquaintances, colleagues and relatives twirled their fingers at their temples: “What are you doing?! There is occupied territory there! They'll seize the car and rob it! There’s nothing to eat, go to the shops!” Etc. and so on. And what’s interesting is that every “horror story” about Crimea was accompanied by the assurance: “I wasn’t there, but my friend (sister, aunt, second cousin) saw it with her own eyes and experienced everything.”
-What do you remember about the first Crimean summer free from Ukraine?
-An unusually empty road - it seemed that no one except us dared to travel to the “annexed” peninsula. Frequent checkpoints along the route, chaos on the Ukrainian border - border guards checked passports at Kalanchak while sitting in a dead, dusty Gazelle. While the new checkpoints in Russian Crimea were already fully equipped for border control.
Already here, on the border, it was felt that the Russians had come to Crimea in earnest and forever. There were very few vacationers, prices for rental housing fell significantly, and when I went to the beach in Maly Mayak, where before there was nowhere for an apple to fall, and counted as many as 15 vacationers, my delight knew no bounds: “Beauty! This is freedom!”
Of course, the locals didn’t share my enthusiasm for the empty beaches, but I haven’t met anyone who would regret divorcing Ukraine.
-What, and the Crimean Tatars?
– The Crimean Tatars with whom I talked about this topic said that on the day of the referendum, festive tables were set in their courtyards. Even those who, following the call of the Majlis, boycotted the referendum, celebrated. Because they understood that Crimea then, in February-March, was one step away from great bloodshed.
-Did you also visit Sevastopol that year?
-Of course, in the first year after the “Crimean spring” I could not help but visit Sevastopol.
-What connects you with this city?
-It’s difficult for me to answer this question; I have no family ties with this city, and my grandfather did not liberate this city. But, apparently, every person who is Russian in spirit has a special, invisible connection with this city. It’s not for nothing that they say that Moscow is the heart of Russia, and Sevastopol is its soul. I would even say - the spiritual core of the Russian world, a symbol of Russian valor and glory.
This is a city where the St. George Ribbon is tied not only on Victory Day, where T-shirts with imperial and Soviet symbols are proudly worn, where “I remember, I’m proud!” is stuck on car hoods. Where the Russian president is not “PNH”, but “the most polite of people.” Where they do not betray their history and are proud of both the noun and the adjective “Russian”.
That’s why, when I’m in Crimea, I always go to Sevastopol. To take a breath of fresh air – both literally and figuratively. In my native Kyiv there is no longer any air - all that remains is the stench from burnt tires. As my brilliant fellow countryman once wrote, the City has disappeared... In order not to suffocate, I am going to Sevastopol.
-How has Crimea changed since 2014?
-I notice that there are more cars on the route from Kyiv to Crimea. This year, out of thirty-four cars waiting in line at the border checkpoint in front of Armyansk, I counted eleven with Kyiv license plates. Has the ice really broken and people are gradually starting to emerge from their propaganda hibernation?
Patiently, in 35-degree heat, they wait for inspection; The Russian Federation, however, has tightened control: it has added bureaucracy - you need to fill out three entry documents, and cars are also thoroughly checked. This year the border took us five hours. The majority of people in line stoically endure the hardships of waiting, understanding that the measures are forced: the safety of Crimeans comes first. But he also makes rationalization proposals: “Perhaps we should put frames at the border to speed up the process?”
Crimea in 2016 was met with an abundance of cars with Russian license plates. Without waiting for the construction of the Kerch Bridge, the Russians moved to Crimea. Landlords came to their senses and raised prices. They are not very different from the “pre-war” ones, but the Russians are pleasantly pleased: their pockets can withstand the blow.
To the chagrin of the sect of “witnesses of the empty and hungry Crimea”: the shelves of Crimean stores are bursting with food, just like the beaches with tourists. Very tasty and high-quality “milk”, nostalgically meat sausages, delicious ice cream made from real cream, chocolates from childhood... And the assortment is in complete order - Russian regions uninterruptedly supply Crimea.
To say that Crimea has changed beyond recognition is to be disingenuous. In two years, it is impossible to cleanse the “Augean stables” inherited from the careless previous owner, who squeezed out all the juice for decades, and now presses with sanctions and blockades.
-How do you like the Crimeans today? What did you notice?
-The euphoria of the “Russian spring” among the Crimeans has passed, everyday life has begun. They are rebuilding their house, traditionally scolding the local authorities, but do not doubt for a minute that two years ago they made the right choice.
-As I understand, you will be at Navy Day this Sunday?
-Necessarily! You know, Crimea has something that is completely missing in Ukraine today - a road map and a perspective. But most importantly, this sacred land has a spiritual core - Sevastopol. Like a magnet, this city attracts everyone who considers themselves a part of the Russian world. It is no coincidence that every year on Navy Day there is nowhere for the apple to fall.
It seems to me that today, when a crusade has been declared on the Russian world, Sevastopol can and should become a place of unity for everyone, regardless of nationality, to the question “Which?” answers: “I am Russian!”
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