Russian tourists cancel Crimea holidays en-masse, Ukrainian military intelligence says

Russian tourists have canceled summer holiday bookings in occupied Crimea en-masse, amid concerns over the "difficult security situation," Ukraine's military intelligence (HUR) said on July 19.

In a post on Telegram, HUR claimed 80% of trips to Sevastopol had been canceled while the rate across the peninsula as a whole was more than a third.

"The mass refusal of Russians to vacation in Crimea was influenced by the unreliable and deadly work of the invaders' air defense system," HUR said.

Russia has a number of military bases in Crimea, most notably in Sevastopol, home of the Kremlin's Black Sea Fleet, though successful Ukrainian strikes forced Moscow to pull out much of its naval forces from the peninsula earlier this month.

Despite often being within sight of active military bases, some Russian tourists continue to vacation at the Black Sea beach resorts.

Last month, three people reportedly died when Russian air defenses intercepted Ukrainian missiles over the peninsula.

While HUR's claims about the cancelation rates could not be verified, earlier news reports paint a picture of a Crimean tourist industry in dire trouble.

In May, it was reported that local health resorts were offering discounts of up to 40% in an attempt to lure tourists to the peninsula.

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