Explosions in Crimea, Russian Beachgoers Told Not to Fret
Russians are joyfully celebrating summer, growing cucumbers at the dacha while in Ukraine war rages
People seemed shocked “why are they shooting at us?” Acquaintances from Russia have been reaching out and expressing anger over the fact that the war in Ukraine is finally reaching Crimea.
On Saturday, a drone slammed into the headquarters of Russia’s Black Sea Fleet in Crimea, sending a plume of smoke over the port city of Sevastopol. Separately, in western Crimea, Russian troops launched antiaircraft fire at unidentified targets, the region’s Russian governor said (As Attacks Mount in Crimea).
This “how dare they” attitude is waking some Russians up to how badly the Russian army is doing in Ukraine; and, it’s even uniting some, like a friend-rapidly-racing-toward-former status, who said to me via WhatsApp, “it’s time we consider some low-level nukes for those Ukrainians Nazis.”
“Are we fighting or what are we doing?” the post by a pro-Kremlin military blogger asked. “Tough, cardinal measures must be taken, every day we pay for half-measures with human lives (As Attacks Mount in Crimea).”
Russians have been blissfully, and so ignorantly, enjoying a warm summer. Nights are spent strolling about peaceful cities where bars, restaurants, and sidewalk cafes are full of revelers.
The sanctions that naive Westerners thought would collapse the Russian economy like a poorly-constructed house of cards are affecting the economy, but only in ways that the average person can’t see or won’t know for months if not years.
The splendid summer fun, however, suffered a setback this past week when fellow citizens vacationing in what many of them consider some bizarre “holy land,” were sent racing for safety. Explosions echoed across the beach resorts and off in the distance the sky filled with plumes of black smoke.
The contrast between the increasing frequency of Ukrainian attacks on Russian soil and the calm far behind from the front is startling many out of their stupors.
With stores full and prices having long ago been stabilized, the dacha season, the time when Russians flock…
