| P O R T H O L E : 19 May 16

EVEN if the sanctions were
lifted, cruise lines may have
difficulty returning to the
disputed Black Sea shores of
Crimea, as the beaches are
being stolen by the truck load.
Officials have warned people
to stop taking sand from tourist
beaches for use as building
material, or face prison.
In more remote locations the
sand is reportedly disappearing
by the lorry-load.
Sergei Aksyonov, prime
minister of Crimea’s Russian backed
government, is calling
for everyone who is caught to be
prosecuted.
“When people are stealing
sand in broad daylight, what
exactly are we doing about it?”
Akysyonov has also threatened
to unleash Russia’s Federal
Security Services – successor
to the KGB – to prosecute the
perpetrators.
Some have even suggested
reinforcing the beach sand – by
mixing it with concrete – to deter
the thieves.