Three Years Under Occupation: Azov Sea Resorts Reduced to Wastelands

The State of Occupied Azov Sea Resorts

According to УНІАН — Туризм: By 2025, once-thriving resorts along the Azov Sea-including Berdyansk, Kyrylivka, Urzuf, and Yuriyivka-have fallen into alarming disrepair. Since Russian forces seized these areas in 2022, the coastal towns have undergone dramatic deterioration. Beaches now sit nearly empty, infrastructure has crumbled, and these former vacation hotspots have turned into dumping grounds.

Berdyansk, which before 2022 ranked among Ukraine's most beloved seaside destinations, now presents a starkly different picture. Kyrylivka, a summer magnet drawing hundreds of thousands of tourists from across the country, has likewise lost its appeal. Urzuf, once home to the famous Azov Regiment recreation base, is now synonymous with pollution. In May 2025, media reports described Urzuf in Donetsk Oblast as overrun with trash and weeds.

Infrastructure in Ruins

The resort infrastructure in Urzuf tells a grim story. Straw sunshades and shelters lie shattered, businesses have been reduced to rubble, and amusement rides stand in hazardous condition. Locals and occasional visitors gaze in disbelief at the scene. 'Where is everybody?!' they exclaim while scanning the deserted beaches. 'Where have all the tourists gone?' they ask, with no answers in sight.

The decline of these resort zones reflects not just an absence of vacationers but a broader degradation of areas once brimming with life.

'Even the jellyfish have fled,' locals joke, recalling how these beaches used to be so packed 'you couldn't find a place to drop an apple.'

Today, the reality could not be more different, and the future of these resorts remains deeply uncertain.

The collapse of tourism on the Azov Sea underscores the severe consequences of occupation, rippling through local economies and residents' daily lives. These territories, once vital tourist centers, now grapple with pollution and decaying infrastructure. The disappearance of visitors and investment threatens not only the resorts' survival but also the well-being of communities that depended on the tourism industry to thrive.

The situation is not unique to the Azov Sea region. For instance, the Zatoka resort in the Odesa region is experiencing a similar fate, with a complete absence of tourists impacting local businesses and infrastructure. As both regions grapple with the consequences of ongoing conflicts, understanding the broader implications of these declines is crucial. To learn more about how the tourism collapse is affecting other areas, read about the plight of Zatoka's deserted beaches.