They’ve apparently been safely back on the farm in Nizhny Novgorod for a while now, though it still isn’t clear exactly when their stay in Crimea actually took place. It appears to have been at least a month ago; and you’ll recall that there was a considerable delay in posting their videos, for reasons that were never clearly explained.

Now, the videos keep coming, one after another. I’ve just viewed #8, having skipped the visit to a tomato farm, because I was much more interested in their day of rest and relaxation in Russian-occupied Sevastopol, Crimea.

Yes, they finally identified their location, and it’s a surprise: a famous resort city directly on the Black Sea shore . . . and the target of missile and drone attacks by Ukraine since the latter part of 2022.

While Ukraine has been careful to aim its attacks at Russian military installations, oil refineries, tankers, and other war-related facilities, Crimea is still technically a war zone; and in war, anything can happen. The U.S. Department of State lists the entire Crimean Peninsula as a “Level 4: Do Not Travel” zone. And in addition to the obvious dangers, there are the inconveniences of fuel shortages, intermittent power outages, and the like.

I’ve not been privileged to visit Crimea; but I have been to Sochi, a similar Black Sea resort on the Russian side. And those Black Sea resorts in the summertime are always packed with Russians on holiday, as well as visitors from many lands. But as I viewed Arend Feenstra’s pictures taken in Sevastopol and at an earllier resort stop, something seemed off. It took a while to register, but I finally realized what it was:

I did not see any crowds.

None of that seems to have fazed the Feenstra clan, though, as they enjoyed the natural beauty of the region . . . always carefully avoiding any mention of the war taking place not far from them, as though it didn’t exist.

Of course, with Ukraine’s drones reaching Moscow and beyond, there are no guarantees of safety back in Nizhny Novgorod, either. I guess it’s all part of the price they’re paying for the privilege of living in the ultra-conservative, large-family-obsessed, woke-free workers’ paradise.

The Feenstras’ priorities are obviously different from mine. But to my mind, that’s much too high a price to pay.

Just sayin’ . . .

Brendochka
7/16/26