Odesa beach "Dolphin" closed for civilians

Odesa has established a special access regime to Dolphin Beach due to martial law.

The relevant order No. 22/9 of May 27, 2025, was issued by the Odesa Operational and Tactical Group and the Odesa Regional Military Administration.

According to the document, entry, exit, movement of citizens, including foreigners and stateless persons, as well as traffic on the territory of Dolphin Beach (between traverses No. 12 and No. 12-a, 12-a and 13 of the first stage of landslide protection structures) are restricted. Entry and exit are allowed only for the purpose of rehabilitation of people with disabilities, military personnel and veterans.

Photo: Screenshot of the order

In addition, unauthorized persons are prohibited from staying on the specified territory, carrying out beach reconstruction works and other actions without a separate written permission. The Odesa city authorities were recommended to revise their regulations to reflect these restrictions.

This step was a response to numerous appeals from the military, veterans, trade unions and the media concerned about the city authorities' plans to terminate the contract with the tenants of the Caleton-Bezmezh beach and dismantle a socially important space created for people with disabilities, defenders of Ukraine and their families. The ban on construction work effectively deprives the mayor's office of grounds to terminate the contract.

As a reminder, at an extraordinary session, the Odesa City Council allocated UAH 2.5 million for design and estimate documentation for Dolphin Beach. They plan to equip a space for people with disabilities there.

At the same time, Oleh Kiper, head of the Odesa Regional State Administration, said that the scandal over the inclusive beach negatively affects Odesa's investment climate and creates a sense of instability. He emphasized that local authorities should not interfere with business so that the city does not lose the holiday season. In his opinion, the situation around the beach sends a bad signal to business and demonstrates that cooperation with the city hall is problematic.

Ірина Глухова