Brawl Erupts on Ukrainian Beach After "Russian Music" Played: "Why Are You Playing That?"

A Brawl Among Vacationers Quickly Escalates into Chaos
Anti-Russian Sentiment in Ukraine Deepens as War Continues for Over Three Years

A brawl broke out among vacationers in Ukraine after Russian music was played at a resort. Anti-Russian sentiment in Ukraine has been growing as the war, triggered by Russia's invasion of Ukraine, has continued for more than three years.

A brawl broke out among Ukrainian vacationers over Russian music playing at a resort. Photo by X capture

According to reports from British media outlet The Sun and other foreign sources on August 5 (local time), a brawl erupted among vacationers at Golden Beach, a resort on the Black Sea coast of Odesa, Ukraine. The controversy centered on the Russian music that was playing on the beach at the time. An argument broke out among the vacationers who heard the music, and some of them began throwing punches. The scene quickly descended into chaos.

According to the media, playing Russian music in public places is now virtually taboo in Ukraine. It remains unknown who played the Russian music at Golden Beach during the incident.

Videos of the incident posted on social networking services (SNS) such as X show two women in swimsuits physically fighting, capturing the chaotic situation. Other vacationers who tried to break up the fight became involved, and the situation quickly became uncontrollable. Foreign media reported that at least 10 people appeared to be involved in the brawl.

A worker protecting the Taras Shevchenko statue destroyed by Russia. Photo by X capture

Meanwhile, since the outbreak of the war, there has been strong opposition to Russian cultural content in Ukraine. Last year, the Ukrainian government sparked controversy by ordering all public libraries in the country to remove works by Russian literary giants such as Tolstoy, Pushkin, and Dostoevsky.

This backlash is not limited to Ukraine. After the invasion, Russian forces also faced criticism for destroying a statue of Taras Shevchenko, Ukraine's national poet and independence activist. In 2023, the U.S. State Department established a fund of $7 million (about 9.7 billion won) to protect Ukraine's cultural heritage damaged by Russia.