Yalta on the southern coast of Crimea is one of the most popular tourist destination on the peninsula. The year 2015 was the first more or less normal bathing season since Russia’s annexation in march 2014.

All of a sudden the peninsula found itself in the middle of a serious conflict between great powers. Diverging opinions about the status of Crimea is central to the current confrontation between Russia and the West.

A mix of mostly Russian tourists and locals populated the beaches around Yalta in the summer of 2015. Ukrainians generally don’t spend their holidays on Crimea anymore because of the tense situation with Russia.