Coronavirus? No, haven’t heard of it. Russia massively brought children and the elderly to the Victory Day parade, and hospitalization rates increased by 133%.

Ukraine. Crimea. On April 26, in Gagarin Park in Simferopol, the memory of the Chernobyl disaster liquidators was honored. Despite the quarantine restrictions imposed by the occupation administration of the peninsula, the events were held with significant violations of anti-epidemic measures. In particular, participants did not observe social distancing and did not wear protective masks.

As early as April 28, the Russian-controlled Minister of Health of Crimea, Alexander Ostapenko, during his daily briefing, reported an increase in hospital bed capacity in cities such as Simferopol, Yevpatoria, Feodosia, Sudak, and Yalta. This came after the number of coronavirus cases increased by 28% over the previous week.

On April 29, the head of the Interregional Office of Russia’s Rospotrebnadzor for Crimea and Sevastopol, Natalia Penkovskaya, in an interview with the Millet TV channel, stated that widespread violations of the mask mandate in the absence of herd immunity were precisely the reason for the rise in coronavirus cases on the peninsula.

At the same time, it should be remembered that even the data provided by the “official authorities” of Crimea are not recognized by international organizations, and experts say that the figures are significantly understated.

This is despite the fact that Crimea had been under a strict quarantine throughout April, and residents were allowed to leave their homes only in cases of extreme necessity.

Despite the epidemiological situation, the Russian-controlled Minister of Resorts and Tourism of Crimea, Vadym Volchenko, expected that more than one million tourists would vacation on the peninsula during the May holidays.

Hotels and sanatoriums were also expected to be 80% occupied.

At the same time, the occupation authorities allowed mass events in honor of May 9. Relevant amendments were made to the decree of the so-called head of Crimea, Sergey Aksyonov, on quarantine restrictions.

Local residents expressed serious concern over what they consider a critical situation with the rising number of coronavirus cases.

Last year, all quarantine restrictions for Russians vacationing in Crimea were lifted, including coronavirus testing. After that, the number of cases increased from several hundred to nearly two thousand per week.

On May 9, the occupation administration held a large-scale Victory Day Parade in Sevastopol. Nearly 2,000 people took part directly, including 875 servicemen of the Russian Black Sea Fleet—whose coronavirus infection rates are not reflected in official statistics—more than 800 children, and representatives of other agencies and organizations. Prior to the parade, organizers conducted three large rehearsals on May 3, 5, and 7.

According to the plan, several thousand spectators also joined the parade. After the event, a column of veterans’ organizations marched, consisting of elderly people who are at high risk for severe COVID-19. In total, more than 150 mass events were held in Sevastopol for Victory Day. This is despite the fact that in Kerch, the occupation authorities decided not to hold their parade due to the difficult epidemiological situation. More than 15,000 people were expected to participate, but the event was postponed indefinitely.

Particular attention is drawn to the involvement of a large number of children in the parade (children’s training for the Victory Day parade: https://bit.ly/3pf7iBk, video).

In addition, the occupation administration continues to actively militarize children on the peninsula. On April 25 alone, the fifth session began at the Artek children’s center: “Salute, Victory!” It was held as part of a “military-patriotic education program for youth.” That is why servicemen of the Russian Black Sea Fleet took part directly in the opening, including demonstrating hand-to-hand combat techniques to children. According to the Russian Ministry of Education, 2,542 children participated in the session. Although Russian authorities presented the Artek session as a children’s recreation camp, the entire program was dedicated to Victory Day—from history lessons to practical training for children, including the field game “Frontline Training Ground.” As part of the session, the Yunarmiya educational program “School of Future Commanders” also took place.

After the May holidays, the occupation authorities reported that 520,000 Russian tourists had visited the peninsula.

On May 19, the so-called Minister of Health of the republic, Alexander Ostapenko, stated at a briefing on preventing the spread of coronavirus that the hospitalization rate over the week had increased by 133%.

“We are seeing an increase in the number of patients with community-acquired pneumonia requiring hospitalization. Over the week, 105 people were hospitalized, which is 60 more than the previous week. The increase amounted to 133%.”

According to the head of the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine, Kyrylo Budanov, all of this confirms the occupiers’ true attitude toward Crimea and its residents.

“For the sake of the May 9 events, Russia neglected safety and put people’s lives and health at risk—especially the elderly, including children of war who are traditionally involved in parades, as well as children it supposedly cares about. Thus, for Russia, as for the USSR, propaganda of the bloody Soviet regime comes first. This once again confirms that the Kremlin does not care about the fate of Crimean residents; what matters to it is the occupied Ukrainian peninsula as a means of achieving geopolitical goals and promoting the ‘Russian world’,” the head of military intelligence believes.

Photo: Crimean Human Rights Group

Author: Solomiia Khoma