Nine years ago, Vladimir Putin personally ordered the construction of an “international level” yacht parking lot near Sevastopol. It was about another mega-project - the construction of new berths, hotel complexes and a railway station. It was planned to spend seven billion rubles and complete the construction by the end of 2022. In reality, the first work began in 2024, the station was abandoned, and the estimate was raised to eleven billion.

For this money, the authorities are announcing the reconstruction of berths, the expansion of the embankment, the construction of a separate berth for collecting waste and sewage from yachts, and for all this, electricity, gas, and water must be brought to the construction site. These utilities will run along the lower boundary of the Chembalo fortress, as well as through the territory of several other objects with the status of cultural heritage monuments.

“Large-scale works are planned there - kilometers of trenches to tie in the medium-pressure gas pipeline into existing networks, lay cables, and storm sewers. All these trenches will run right through the territory of the suburbs of the Chembalo fortress, which have an archaeological protection status. We are told that archaeologists will monitor the builders during the excavation work. But we are all adults and we understand perfectly well that no one is going to provide anything,” one of the Balaklava guides told CEMAAT on condition of anonymity.

Another resident of the seaside town named Olexiy agrees with these conclusions, explaining that such “trifles” as the destruction of the cultural layer around Chembalo cannot stop the builders, as the project is backed by the interests of Russian oligarchs. “Everyone here knows that the networks are being laid for a reason, but for a business project of the Rothenbergs, who are Putin's closest friends. So the fortress itself will be dismantled if necessary. It's just lucky that the Genoese knew better and put their fortress higher than the plot that was cut up for a yacht parking lot,” the man jokes sadly.

It is almost impossible to save the cultural layer of the medieval settlement, and possibly the outskirts of the ancient Chersonese buildings, in such conditions. “Formally, the heads of contractors and subcontractors will be asked to sign a notification about the presence of archaeological sites. They must bring this information to the workers and follow the procedure for conducting construction work in such conditions. But let's imagine they found something like this - they need to call archaeologists. To do this, archaeologists must be available and quickly accessible. The costs of their work must be budgeted. Today, no one is doing this,” one of the employees of the local administration told CEMAAT anonymously.

In general, according to local residents, all work around the marina is carried out in the most non-transparent way possible, and even experts have no access to the projects. “There is a lot of talk about narrowing the space of the bay by installing piles on top of which the embankment will be laid. No one explains how this will affect the situation with water exchange in the bay, but preparations for the installation of piles have already been made. The only thing we know is that the first house to be reconstructed is the one that is supposed to house the FSB,” says local resident Tatiana.

The occupiers' secrecy is most likely explained by the previous wave of criticism they faced at the stage of “public discussion” of their plans. Five years ago, the future marina was criticized to the hilt by Sevastopol architect Sergei Pushkarev: “The project proposed for implementation radically changes the landscape of the area, devaluing the basis of the main attraction of Balaklava - its ensemble of nature and medieval architecture.”

Even the occupiers themselves spoke about the inexpediency of the construction. The manager of federal funds, Andrey Nikitchenko, suggested that Balaklava would only become a site for a development project with low efficiency for investors. “Instead of a potentially unique city center, an unpromising enclave will appear, which will irritate residents of other districts,” the Russian official said.

Ordinary Balaklava residents are not only annoyed by the future marina, but also scared. In particular, the plan to build the Yacht Village, a complex of luxury hotels by some unknown investor. “We have no room for such large-scale projects. So, they will go home and be urged to sell their apartments and houses, just like the Sberbankers did on the South Coast. And this is an offer that cannot be refused: those who think twice will have their electricity and gas cut off, their ownership challenged, and their homes taken away in court. Who are we to compete with them in terms of opportunities, and even in Russian realities,” complains the Balaklava guide, fearing that he will lose not only his job but also his home.

His fears are shared by other Balaklava residents who do not believe a word of Sevastopol deputies and officials who promise that everyone will benefit from the construction. “We do not live in a vacuum. Have you seen how the residents of Sochi 'won' during the construction for the Olympics? They demolished whole neighborhoods. And also under the promise that everyone would have a job and a salary. And what happened in the end? All the locals were driven out, and Muscovites and Chechens took over the business,” says Tatiana.

A few months ago, there were even more reasons to fear. The deputy self-proclaimed governor of Sevastopol, Maksym Zhukalov, said that the mountains around Balaklava were going to be left untouched: “No construction is planned there. We have defended and will continue to defend this territory,” he emphasized. And this is where Balaklava residents got really scared. Because earlier the project envisaged the construction of an “elite district” on the eastern side of the bay, in the mountains that are now planned to be “protected”. And there are no other areas for construction, except for the homes of local residents, in small Balaklava.

The Genoese fortress of Chembalo has been towering over Balaklava for seven centuries. Its walls have survived wars, sieges and assaults, but may fall victim to the greed and ignorance of the current occupiers. In the near future, earthworks will begin close to the lower buildings of the medieval complex. The trenches will be dug as part of another “construction of the millennium” - a yacht marina, which is a business project of Putin's henchmen, oligarch brothers Arkady and Borys Rotenberg. However, the project threatens to destroy not only the ancient fortress.