Reclaiming Russia's Paradise with Lucy Ash Our World

Crimea to explore the impact of Russia's land grab to reclaim its

'seaside paradise'. That chill in the crown of Russian

and Soviet empires. And now, once again under Kremlin rule. I have

come to the destination of choice for generations of tourists, from

the time of the stars. I have been seeking the best treatment that a

Crimean holiday can offer. `` Czar. And, unveiling its secrets. And, I

have been souvenir shopping with my patriotic fellow tourist. The map of

Europe was redrawn in February, when Russian troops annexed to this part

of Ukraine. In the world looked on in shock. President Putin's land

around triggered a bitter conflict in nearby eastern Ukraine, where

fighting continues today. And where a Malaysian outline was recently

shot down, killing all 298 people on board. Away from the beaches, macro

to does not looks at a welcoming place. `` Crimea. Our people here

really better off under Vladimir Putin?

7:30am on the coast in Crimea, and time for pre` breakfast stretches

for a handful of holidaymakers. Not all of the gas from this Black Sea

sanatorium have got out of bed, but I have. `` guests. This woman has

come nearly 3000 miles away, from the Russian Arctic. She works for a

gas giant. Natasha and her family are from Saint Petersburg, a budget

break from a school teacher and then ice was the coach. The exercises are

level as for all, including BBC reporters. Natasha has been here

before, but she says this year 's holiday is especially important.

For most Russians, Crimea is an inalienable part of their country.

First conquered in the 18th century, it was the Pearl in the crown of the

Empire. By the mid`20th century, Stalin had expelled the indigenous

population, and turned the peninsular into a red Riviera.

Ethnic Russians became the majority, and when it was given to the Ukraine

by Nikita Khrushchev in 1954, it did not seem to matter much. Because in

those days, it was all one soviet union. This is amazing, you have

your own vineyard growing on your balcony. After the exercises, Nina

shows me her room with a view. It is a far cry from her everyday life,

teaching oil and gas workers techniques knew the Arctic Circle.

This week we had 54 degrees below zero. Before that, she lived in

Ukraine. I want Ukraine to be happy, I want it very much. Well,

for the Crimea people, I think Russia real give more, because

Russia is a more powerful country. More money? More money, more power.

Russian might call the shots when Kremlin backed troops seized Crimea

this February, after 23 years of rule by an independent Ukraine. The

new pro` Moscow authorities swiftly sought to legitimise their

takeover, in a referendum asking cry means if they wanted to become part

of the Russian federation. `` agreed to. The reported result was 92% in

favour, raising many a cynical eyebrow. `` Crimeans. None of that

troubles Natasha and Nina, who are off on a boat trip. We are virtually

the only party on board. The boat is quite empty, isn't it?

Russia's land grab of Crimea from the Ukraine has drastically cut

tourist numbers this year. Western sanctions mean that foreign cruise

liners are no longer docking in the Crimean ports. The fighting near an

esky and Luhansk mean that Russian tourists cannot travel to Crimea

through the eastern Ukraine. `` near Donetsk. Look at that, what is it

saying? They are frightening us with sanctions. And that is the Prime

Minister Putin. Are you kissing them? Pretty, handsome man. Business

may be slow, but these T`shirts are selling like hotcakes. Do you like

them? Yes. Do you think your life will be

better now that Crimea is part of Russia?

Instead, citizens of the former Soviet republic are killing one

another. Fighting in nearby eastern Ukraine, between pro` Moscow

separatists, and the Ukrainian army. It is only claimed more than 1500

lives. `` it has already. We are on our way to a refugee camp, just two

hours from the coast. Run by Russia's emergency services

Ministry. It seems that tourists are not the only one heading for Crimea

this summer. Busloads of traumatised ethnic Russians arrive daily in

Crimea, from eastern Ukraine. Nearly 400 men, women, and children, sleepy

intense and army barracks. `` sleep here in tents. All of these ladies

here work in a mine near Donetsk, on the switchboard. They are very, very

happy to have escaped. They are very angry about the situation at home.

Natasha, a shop assistant from a small town near the hearts, shows me

the few possessions she has managed to bring near her. `` with her.

Meanwhile, just 100 kilometres away on Crimea's beaches, for some, the

holiday goes on. Package trips here are also about

self`improvement, not just headedness in. The dry, subtropical

climate is a big draw. People come to nurture their health under the

benign gaze of the sun. `` hedonism. Just up from the beach, the nerve

centre of the resort, serviced by medics. He is the chief doctor, and

has agreed to give me a tour. An array of time`honoured Soviet euro

treatments. Next, another Soviet era speciality.

Every visitor counts. Revenue is drastically down from last year, and

two thirds of the greens here are empty. I am told it is the same

picture across Crimea. Russians used to foreign resorts could be hard to

win back, and some things you might be of limited appeal. `` things here

might. In the afternoon, I stroll along the

famous promenade, where Anton Chekhov came to people what as he

was recovering from tuberculosis. To boost visitor numbers, Russian

airlines were ordered to go to plan the number of flights to Crimea this

summer. `` ordered to triple the number. Moscow has already increased

pensions and wages for state employees here. There has been talk

of new investments, including a can see no son to pull in the punters.

`` including a casino zone. On the prom nad, I come across an un

`` promenade, I come across an unfamiliar site. This looks like a

`` sight. This looks like a brave thing to do. A retired railway man

has lived here for 30 years and now earns his living from the tourist

trade. What does he think about what happened?

Very, very tasty. Back at the sanatorium, as Nina enjoys an oxygen

cocktail, her doctor has her own view of recent events and she pulls

no punches. Not everyone agrees. This local

woman doesn't want to show her face but she's concerned that the March

referendum on leaving Ukraine could backfire on people in Crimea.

There's a lady who want to get treatment and she says, "Can you

stop talking politics? I want to get my treatment." The musician wants to

introduce me to a friend of his who is also uncomfortable in the new

Crimea. Vladimir is a local artist and sculptor. This is a fish that

talks different languages. Vladimir says he feels trapped and

increasingly isolated by sanctions. He misses the international

cruiseliners which used to come here.

He tells me he refused to become Russian.

So why don't you take a Russian passport? Wouldn't it be simpler?

And he says the mood here has changed.

Vladimir is now bebaiting whether to leave his beloved Crimea `` debating

whether to leave his beloved Crimea for good. Some of his friends have

already moved and he's already sent away some of his artworks. Away from

the beaches the atmosphere Vladimir complains about is tangible. Armed

militia units, who call themselves self`defence forces, constantsly

patrol the streets. I've come to see the Acting PM. It said in the 1990s

he was mixed up with the criminal underworld and went by the nickname

The Gobline. Then he reinvented himself as a Russian Nationalest.

The annexation of Crimea thrust him into power.

The West says what happened here was an illegal annexation. What do you

call what happened here? Is it a revolution?

Across Russia, school textbooks are being updated to include the Kremlin

line on events in Crimea. These pupils are on a historical tour of

the headquarters of the Black Sea Fleet.

Now all the ships here are Russian, after the Ukrainian navy was

unceremoniously forced to unweigh anchor and sail off this spring. The

Russian Government is sending tens of thousands of schoolchildren to

Crimean summer camps, with special patriotic programmes this year. This

lot arrived yesterday from Moscow and they've got a really packed

itinerary. First stop ` the 1850s. The Crimean

war waged by the Western powers to contain Russia dragged on for three

years and led to heavy casualties on all sides. We're in the circular

panorama museum which presents the action from the Russian soldiers

defected. This gigantic painting is about the battle in 1855 when the

Russians had to defend their port city against onslaughts from the

British and the French. It's a key day in Russian history and this tour

is designed to show the importance of Crimea and Russia's role on the

world stage. Next stop ` World War II. During what Russians call the

great patriotic war, again it was conquered by the Germans and

recaptured by the Red Army. Out in the harbour I ask these

Moscow teenagers whether they think it's fair that all these ships now

belong to Russia. There were waves of pot

reoticiaphoria `` patriotic euphoria. As Crimea embarks on its

new journey, East`West relations are sailing into very choppy waters. A

shooting down of the Malaysian Airliner admits the continuing

bloodshed in nearby Eastern Ukraine has further destabilised the region.

The West accuses Moscow of encouraging and arming the

separatists and has now imposed the toughest sanctions since the Cold

War. Russia may have reclaimed its Black Sea paradise, but at what

price? And will Crimea's story have a happy ending?

Hello. A much fresher feel for all of us by the end of this weekend

with low pressure arriving in the north and bringing with it some

unusually windy weather. The Met Office are warning of gales in the

north