Odesa officially opens beaches for the first time since beginning of the war

On August 12, six Odesa beaches officially opened for swimming, reports regional governor Oleh Kiper.

Kiper says that beach access will be open from 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. Beaches will be closed during air raid alerts, in case of discovery of suspicious objects, and during assaults from two points.

Odesa Mayor Gennadiy Trukhanov added that shelters have been provided near the beaches in case of air raid alerts, and that special nets in the water prevent mines from entering swimming areas. Trukhanov also stressed that beaches that have not yet been examined are dangerous to visit.

“Our task is to get all of the necessary infrastructure ready. However, in my personal opinion, a beach vacation — specifically a vacation — is a bit unseemly when our defenders are still fighting for every meter of Ukrainian land,” the mayor noted.

Ukrainian publication NV explained that Odesa beaches were officially closed at the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, in part because of the threat of marine mines washing ashore. People continued to visit the beaches and swim, however. Several vacationers have been killed by exploding mines, the publication reports.