Election Aftermath and Tourist Trends: Insights from Russias Regions

**Greetings and welcome to this week’s edition of Regions Calling, your source for updates from outside the Russian capital, courtesy of The Moscow Times.**

The focus of regional news this past week was on Russia’s fifth set of wartime elections, with over 45,000 governmental positions contested across 80 regions. This included 19 gubernatorial, 11 parliamentary, and 25 city council elections. The electoral processes were marred by extensive reports of misconduct, employing well-known strategies such as carousel voting and ballot stuffing.

While several gubernatorial contests in the Irkutsk and Arkhangelsk areas initially suggested potential excitement, all culminated in decisive wins for the incumbents supported by the United Russia party.

In the regional parliamentary elections, the ruling party also achieved a significant triumph, securing 81% of all available seats according to early results. However, some unexpected opposition wins were noted in the Kostroma region and the Republic of Tyva.

At the municipal level, United Russia faced significant setbacks, with victories for candidates backed by the Communist Party, the New People Party, and a few independents—some possibly linked to the ruling organization—across various districts and city leadership roles in the Republics of Sakha, Buryatia, and Khakassia.

As the regional elections conclude and lawmakers return to their duties, along with the new academic year underway, it presents an opportune moment to reflect on how Russians chose to spend their summer vacations—choices that reveal valuable insights into the public sentiment and economic trends.

Before diving deeper into these reflections, here’s a roundup of other significant developments occurring in Russia’s regions and ethnic republics:

Anti-Kremlin shaman Alexander Gabyshev from Yakutia has been moved from a high-security psychiatric institution in the Primorye region to a general hospital in Yakutsk, the capital of his home region, following a lengthy legal dispute.

The 56-year-old became well-known after his 2019 pilgrimage to Moscow, where he aimed to “exorcize” President Vladimir Putin. Recognized as a political prisoner by both the Memorial human rights group and Amnesty International, Gabyshev has spent much of the past five years in psychiatric facilities, with supporters alleging he has been subjected to dangerous treatments.

Meanwhile, authorities in Sakha are grappling with difficulties in commencing the heating season due to insufficient funding for utilities, as temperatures in the sparsely populated region have already dropped below freezing.

In Bashkortostan, security forces raided the homes and detained four female activists and a journalist. While the charges against them remain unspecified, it’s possible they were targeted due to their alleged connections to controversial opposition figure Svetlana Lada-Rus, who is currently on Russia’s wanted list.

In the North Caucasus republic of Kabardino-Balkaria, a cable car accident on Mount Elbrus resulted in three fatalities and multiple injuries. Law enforcement has apprehended the CEO and head technician of the involved chairlift company. This cable car has been in operation since 1981 and connects two points near Europe’s tallest mountain.

In the northwestern Vologda region, the unconventional Governor Georgy Filimonov continues to pursue an aggressive and unpopular anti-alcohol campaign. Since its initiation in March, nearly half of all liquor stores in the area have closed, while the remaining establishments have been compelled to undertake rebranding efforts.

Although the campaign aims to enhance public health, local reports indicate it has led to a rise in black-market alcohol sales. Other regions in Russia’s Far East, such as Amur, Magadan, and Sakha, are considering implementing stricter measures against alcohol consumption.

**Annexed Crimea and ‘Unfriendly’ Shores: Russian Summer Vacations**

With the arrival of monsoons and cooler temperatures this month, the peak tourist season along the Black Sea coast has officially concluded, even for the warmest regions of Russia.

Tour operators are currently assessing the outcomes of a summer tourism season that suffered from nationwide flight disruptions, internet outages, and the repercussions of a major oil spill in the Kerch Strait reported in December 2024.

**Domestic Changes**

The overall number of vacation bookings during the peak season from May to September fell by 13% compared to last year, according to the Association of Tour Operators in Russia (ATOR).

Sergei Romashkin, vice president of ATOR’s domestic tourism division, attributed this decline to a combination of factors, including rising hotel and transport prices that have hindered the growth of domestic tourism.

He pointed out, “The closure of Anapa’s beaches immediately left around 3 million tourists without vacation options. Not all opted for alternative resorts—some chose shorter, independent trips within proximity to home.”

Tourism in Anapa, once a leading coastal destination, effectively came to a halt following a government ban on swimming due to ongoing contamination issues. Between January and September 2025, only 1.5 million tourists visited Anapa, a stark decline from 4.3 million during the same timeframe last year, as per government data reported by Kommersant.

In fact, the Black Sea coast observed a decrease in tour bookings of up to 25% from the previous year, although it still remains the preferred travel destination for Russians, representing as much as 45% of all reservations, according to ATOR.

Conversely, bookings for coastal resorts in annexed Crimea increased by nearly 40%, making it the second-most sought-after location for Russian tourists, following resorts in the North Caucasus and cultural attractions in Moscow and St. Petersburg.

ATOR also noted a trend towards more cautious travel planning among Russians, with individuals booking their holidays at least three months in advance and opting for more budget-friendly accommodation options.

**International Getaways**

Despite a decrease in disposable income and challenges posed by limited international flights and logistical barriers due to global sanctions stemming from the invasion of Ukraine, millions of Russians still sought vacations abroad.

In fact, demand for foreign vacation packages among Russians rose by 20.5% compared to the last year, according to ATOR.

Turkey, Egypt, and the UAE rank as the top three foreign destinations favored by Russian travelers, followed by Vietnam and Georgia’s breakaway region of Abkhazia, which has seen a staggering 950% increase in bookings compared to the previous year.

Additionally, the Russian government has been actively promoting travel to a designated list of «friendly countries,» aiming to incentivize tour companies dealing with these approved destinations to reduce the prices of their holiday packages.

Currently, only Belarus and the breakaway Georgian territories of Abkhazia and South Ossetia are included in this ‘friendly countries’ list, limiting its appeal among major players in Russia’s travel industry who continue to benefit significantly from international tour packages, as stated by ATOR.

Despite restrictions in the EU on visas for Russian citizens following the Ukraine invasion, the number of Schengen visas issued to Russians has been rising since 2023, according to reports from The Telegraph.

In 2024, Russians received 552,600 Schengen visas, marking a 9% increase from the previous year. Additionally, bookings at hotels across Europe by Russian passport holders are on the rise, with Italy, Hungary, and France leading the way.

Should the EU impose further restrictions on tourist visas for Russians as a part of recent sanctions against Moscow, this growing influx of Russian tourists into Europe—albeit smaller than during pre-war years—might dwindle even more.

The rumored ban has sparked significant backlash from the Russian opposition, who argue that keeping ties between Russians and the EU is crucial. Yulia Navalnaya remarked, “There is no reason to believe that pressure on all citizens will influence the views of Russia’s leadership and president. Isolating Russian society will not contribute to peace in Europe.”

In a quirky election occurrence in the Irkutsk region, a person dressed in a squirrel costume cast a ballot during gubernatorial elections where the incumbent Igor Kobzev faced competition from his Communist Party predecessor Sergei Levchenko. Despite the challenge, Kobzev won the election with 60.79%, with campaign expenses reportedly around 300 million rubles ($3.6 million) for advertising and political consulting fees, according to leaked documents.