There's a little left - Vitaliy Kim promised to return Koblevo better than it was

Closed cafes, damaged holiday facilities, anti-tank obstacles and barbed wire: the network showed what the once tourist-packed coast of Kobleve looks like now. The video was commented on by the head of the Mykolaiv Regional Military Administration Vitalii Kim, who promised to restore the resort area.

The clip was posted on TikTok by user Free biker. The video shows emptied streets of the village’s resort area, closed and damaged establishments, abandoned platforms, concrete barriers, anti-tank hedgehogs, barbed wire and warnings about mine danger.

Places that before the start of the full-scale Russian invasion each summer hosted thousands of holidaymakers remain effectively cut off from the sea. Access to the beaches is officially prohibited due to the danger of explosive ordnance in the water and on the coastal territory.

“We will return everything better than it was! There’s just a little left”, – commented under the video the head of the Mykolaiv OMA Vitalii Kim.

Vitalii Kim did not name specific timelines, sources of funding or an already approved plan for the full reconstruction of Kobleve Vitalii Kim in his comment.

The phrase “there’s just a little left” provoked a mixed reaction from users. Some criticized the optimistic wording and questioned the realism and the timelines for restoration.

“And “a little” — roughly how much, Vitalii? I’ve been hearing this “little” from the very beginning, — noted one of the users.

“2-3 weeks?” — wrote Eduard.

Before the full-scale invasion Kobleve was one of the most famous resorts in southern Ukraine. The tourist season provided jobs for local residents, entrepreneurs, hotel owners, cafés, shops and entertainment venues.

After February 24, 2022 access to the sea was restricted. The coast became part of the defensive system: concrete structures, anti-tank obstacles and barbed wire were installed on the beaches, and there remains a mine danger in the coastal waters.

In the spring of 2026 the shore was additionally reinforced with concrete tetrahedrons and wire barriers. The military warned that anti-tank, anti-landing and anti-personnel mines could remain in the water and sand.

Despite the fences and warning signs, some people tried to penetrate the closed coast. Because of this access to the beaches was blocked with concrete blocks, and trenches were dug in some sections.

Since the start of the full-scale invasion the Kobleve community has lost about 123.2 million hryvnias in revenue due to the absence of full tourist seasons. Local businesses have been operating in survival mode for several years or remain completely closed.

Regional authorities and entrepreneurs previously discussed the possibility of restoring the resort area, but the main condition remains permission from the military and full safety of the coast. To open the beaches, inspections, demining, an alert system, shelters and protection of the waters from sea mines are required.

Therefore the promise to return Kobleve “better than it was” remains for now a political statement without published timelines and a cost estimate. The real reconstruction of the resort will depend not only on the end of hostilities, but also on large-scale demining, the condition of damaged businesses and attracting investment.

Earlier we wrote:

• Kobleve reinforced against a landing: on the beach — concrete and wire, in the sea — anti-tank mines
• Tourism under threat: Vitalii Kim warned about a possible loss of the season in Mykolaiv region
• In Kobleve the sea is “under lock”: due to the danger of an enemy landing
• Waist-high thickets, broken hotels, mined beaches, stray dogs: how the Kobleve resort lives
• In Kobleve — a potential death zone: holidaymakers climb into the mined sea