Support The Moscow Times!

Orthodox Priest in Crimea Asks for Nudist Beach

BOMBTWINZ BOMBTWINZ / Flickr

With temperatures in Crimea reaching 40 degrees Celsius, a Russian Orthodox Church official has come up with an unorthodox solution to avoid being confronted with bare skin.

Church official Georgy Kunitsyn told the Komsomolskaya Pravda tabloid he encountered “a terrible problem,” while visiting a beach in his home town of Yevpatoria on the Crimean coast. “I saw a group of undressed people. They were sunbathing on a public beach and seemed to have no moral qualms about it,” he said.

“They ignored my comment so I was forced to call the police to restore the public order.”

He is now appealing to the local authorities to open a beach for nudists, the report said.

“The Church has a negative attitude to nudism because it is concerned about the moral values of society,” he added. “But since there are people who hold this philosophy, the logical thing is to give them a place where they can rest in whatever way they want, but not in public spaces!”

The deputy head of Yevpatoria’s local government, Valery Batuk, has promised to take action.

“This issue must be solved, but with tolerance,” he was cited as saying. “That way we can still be a modern resort, despite this spicy situation!”

Sign up for our free weekly newsletter

Our weekly newsletter contains a hand-picked selection of news, features, analysis and more from The Moscow Times. You will receive it in your mailbox every Friday. Never miss the latest news from Russia. Preview
Subscribers agree to the Privacy Policy

A Message from The Moscow Times:

Dear readers,

We are facing unprecedented challenges. Russia's Prosecutor General's Office has designated The Moscow Times as an "undesirable" organization, criminalizing our work and putting our staff at risk of prosecution. This follows our earlier unjust labeling as a "foreign agent."

These actions are direct attempts to silence independent journalism in Russia. The authorities claim our work "discredits the decisions of the Russian leadership." We see things differently: we strive to provide accurate, unbiased reporting on Russia.

We, the journalists of The Moscow Times, refuse to be silenced. But to continue our work, we need your help.

Your support, no matter how small, makes a world of difference. If you can, please support us monthly starting from just $2. It's quick to set up, and every contribution makes a significant impact.

By supporting The Moscow Times, you're defending open, independent journalism in the face of repression. Thank you for standing with us.

Once
Monthly
Annual
Continue
paiment methods
Not ready to support today?
Remind me later.

Read more