In Mykolaiv, people are swimming in rivers despite the ban: there are no official beaches in the city

Residents of Mykolaiv are swimming in the river in the Korabelny district, photo by NikVesti

In Mykolaiv, residents continue to relax and swim by the rivers, despite the official ban. At the same time, no designated public bathing areas have been established in the city this year, and swimming remains prohibited.

This is discussed in the article «There are no official beaches in Mykolaiv, but there are hundreds of people by the water. What’s wrong with summer recreation in the city» by journalists from NikVesti.

The reporters visited several riverside areas in the city and found that, on hot days, the banks of the Southern Bug and Inhulskyi rivers effectively function as makeshift beaches. People are relaxing in Namyv, near the Varvarivskyi Bridge, at «Strilka», «Chaika» and other stretches of the coastline. Some residents are simply walking or sunbathing, but many are going into the water and jumping off the piers, even though the beach season has not officially opened in the city.

In response to an enquiry from NikVesti, the city council explained that public recreational areas on bodies of water must be officially designated by local authorities.

The Mykolaiv authorities state that swimming is not permitted on the city’s beaches, June 2026, response to a request from NikVesti

«Public recreational areas on bodies of water are those bodies of water (or parts thereof) and the adjacent land plots, islands, beach areas designated for organised public recreation,» the response states.

However, no such areas have been designated in Mykolaiv this year. The Executive Committee refers to Decision №348 of 2 June 2022 «On the prohibition of the operation of public recreational areas on the city’s water bodies».

«This year, no public recreational areas have been designated on the city’s water bodies, and swimming is prohibited,» said Deputy Mayor Serhii Koreniev.

Serhiy Korenev, Deputy Mayor of Mykolaiv, says that people are not allowed to relax on the city’s beaches; photo from the official’s Facebook page

Consequently, according to the city council, Mykolaiv did not carry out the measures that usually precede the opening of the beach season: designating swimming areas, preparing the sites, setting up lifeguard stations and other activities to ensure organised recreation on the water.

The city council cites the security situation and military risks as the main reasons.

«Given the unstable security situation and the impossibility of guaranteeing on a daily basis that there are no explosive devices in the water, it is not feasible to designate safe swimming areas within the city,» the response states.

Warning signs are also to be erected in the city. By a decision of the local commission on technical and environmental safety and emergency situations dated 27 April 2026, district administrations and the bodies responsible for coastal areas were instructed to put up signs reading: «Swimming prohibited» and «Warning! Explosive objects may be present in the water».

People are relaxing and swimming on Namyv Beach in Mykolaiv, photo by NikVesti

However, in practice, these warnings do not deter people. In warm weather, dozens of holidaymakers, including children and teenagers, can be seen on the coast. It is particularly crowded at Namyv, which locals have regarded as the city’s main beach for many years, although officially it is not.

Unlike Mykolaiv, some of Odesa’s beaches were officially opened this summer. In early June, Odesa City Council reported that 14 safe beach areas were operational in the city, equipped with shelters, lifeguard stations and first-aid posts. Before opening, the beaches were inspected for safety, the availability of shelters and the presence of facilities to respond in the event of an emergency.

There are currently no official beach areas in Mykolaiv. Consequently, people who swim in rivers are effectively doing so at their own risk — with no guarantee of a surveyed riverbed, a lifeguard post or an organised safety system.

The issue of water safety has once again come to the fore following the tragedy at Namyv. On 10 June, a 17-year-old boy drowned there after jumping from the jetty into the water and failing to resurface. His body was later found by divers about 30 metres from the shore.