Onion with risk: why tourists die because of jipping
The pursuit of unusual experiences and beautiful pictures sometimes ends tragically: in Sochi over the weekend, two major accidents with cars that were taking tourists to the so-called jipping occurred overnight. Two people, including a child, were killed in one of them. Unfortunately, jeep tours are one of the most gray areas in the tourism industry across the country: they are illegal, and there are virtually no rules. As Izvestia found out, the State Duma is going to settle the issue of jipping and a number of other tourist products that have so far been outside the law in the autumn session.
What happened to tourists in Sochi
A fatal accident with a UAZ car occurred near the village of Solokhaul in the Lazarevsky district of Sochi on Sunday evening. Besides the driver, there were eight other people in the car. She tipped over, missed the turn, and hit the guardrail.
According to media reports, a 24-year-old man and a 16-year-old teenager were killed, and four others, including the driver, were hospitalized. The driver was a 35-year-old man who lost control at high speed.
A criminal case was opened against the driver in the SU IC in the Krasnodar Territory. He is suspected of providing services that do not meet safety requirements (Part 3 of Article 238 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation). According to it, he faces imprisonment for up to 10 years.
"According to the investigation, the defendant, along with his acquaintances, whose identities are currently being established, provided gipping services to citizens for a fee. On August 17, 2025, while transporting a group of tourists in a UAZ car near the village of Solokhaul in the Lazarevsky district of Sochi, the driver exceeded the speed limit and hit a road restriction structure," the SU IC reported.
On the same day, but in the morning, there was another serious accident with tourists in a jeep. In the village of Krasnaya Volya, a UAZ overturned while climbing a mountain. Six people were injured, and one of the girls suffered a head injury. Eyewitnesses claim that the UAZ was traveling at high speed along the Kudepsta River, the driver lost control and the car tipped over on its side.
The Sochi City Prosecutor's Office has launched an investigation into the accident.
Are jeepers operating legally
— During this season, I traveled the entire Black Sea coast and Crimea. And I can say that every year there are more and more offers of such so-called jeep tours," blogger Andrey Makovozov from the Krasnodar Territory told Izvestia. — Most of all — in the Sochi area.
He says that cars (usually UAZs) are artistically converted into SUVs with a large number of seats, but safety is practically not ensured: people in the back do not even have seat belts.
— This is mainly done by local residents, and for many it is the only source of income, — said Andrey Makovozov. — The amounts are quite a lot: in Abkhazia, we were asked for 2.5 thousand rubles per person each way for a jeep ride to the Giant Waterfall.
He added that they are fighting this business: for example, in Anapa, near the Swallow's Nests, all the driveways were dug up so that jeeps could not get there.
"There are also one—time events, raids — I've seen such cars stopped, excursions interrupted, and drivers punished," the blogger said. — But in general, jipping on the coast is booming.
Andrey Makovozov recalled that in 2018 there was another tragedy due to a jeep tour: the UAZ fell into a chasm in Gelendzhik with tourists. A year after the incident, a regional law appeared in the Krasnodar Territory "On the specifics of organizing autotourism, motorcycle tourism on high-risk routes," which was designed to bring this, most often gray, area of excursions back into the legal field.
"According to this law, in order to organize jipping, it is necessary to obtain a passport for an extreme route and equip it," Georgy Mokhov, vice president of the Russian Union of Travel Industry (PCT), founder of the Persona Grata law agency, told Izvestia. — All design changes to SUVs must be registered with the traffic police, car drivers must have at least three years of experience, and the vehicles themselves must undergo daily pre— and post-flight technical condition control.
He explained that checks on compliance with the requirements of this law are carried out in the region and there is a certain effect — "gradually such services acquire a civilized appearance." However, in most cases, the organizers of such excursions do not have any documents, and tourists themselves are not interested in this.
Kamilla Velibekova, Managing Partner and founder of Premier Tourism, adds that 1,872 violations were detected in Sochi alone during the 2025 season, and 31 cases were initiated for illegal business activities.
Umar Aidinov, head of the regional Union of the Tourism Industry of the North Caucasus Federal District, who has been organizing jeep tours in another region of the North Caucasus for many years, notes that at the federal level, the jeep market is not regulated in any way, except by the State Traffic Inspectorate in terms of issuing driver's licenses.
— No other documents are needed for this — jeepers work as taxi drivers, as independent cab drivers, as "transfer drivers". There is no concept of a "jeep driver" or a "specialist in driving on high-risk roads." Therefore, it is very difficult to talk about legality or illegality," the source told Izvestia.
Umar Aidinov adds that if a jeep driver conducts an excursion, then he must be certified as a tour guide, but most often jipping does not imply this: it is, in fact, a simple ride to the sights. To be fair, he noted, of the 19 accidents on difficult mountain routes, 18 occur not with jeepers, but with independent tourists who went there at their own risk.
Sergei Krivonosov, deputy chairman of the State Duma Committee on Tourism and Tourism Infrastructure Development, said that vacationers should refrain from traveling if it is offered by an organization that is not included in the register of tour operators. However, the interlocutor of Izvestia notes, so far there are very few such organizations in the register of the Ministry of Economic Development.
Where is the problem common
The problem is federal and requires both legislative and supervisory measures, Yuri Barzykin, Chairman of the Committee of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of the Russian Federation on entrepreneurship in the field of tourism, emphasized in a conversation with Izvestia.
Georgy Mokhov notes that jipping is mainly typical for mountainous and resort regions.
"There are similar offers in Karelia, the Murmansk Region, Altai, and the Far East," he said. — And this is not only jipping, but also trips by tourists on ATVs, snowmobiles, all-terrain vehicles and other extreme equipment.
Kamila Velibekova notes that the problem is also noted in Abkhazia, where many cars are generally used for wear and tear, without licenses and inspections, and safety depends entirely on the individual driver.
"At the same time, interest in jeep tours is consistently high," she told Izvestia. — Off-road expeditions allow you to get to unique natural sites where a bus or a car will not pass. Among the most popular destinations for jipping tours are Krasnodar Krai, the Caucasus, Karelia, the Caucasus, Kamchatka and Baikal.
How to solve the problem
Marina Nenarokova, General Director of Natural Code LLC, vice president of the National Union of the Hospitality Industry, told Izvestia that the sphere requires a legal framework, but it should not be overgrown with prohibitions, but with additional requirements for extreme driving. The expert believes that a category of auto guide could appear, which, by analogy with a tour guide, would be responsible for people. In addition, this work requires additional regulation in specially protected natural areas, which can be seriously damaged by specially equipped machines, Marina Nenarokova noted.
Natalia Kostenko, deputy chairman of the State Duma Committee on Tourism and Tourism Infrastructure Development, said that deputies have long been talking with representatives of the Ministry of Economic Development about regulating such phenomena in the tourism industry that cannot be recognized as an ordinary excursion. She said the State Duma would return to this issue in September, during the autumn session.
— I think that jipping should be considered together with the question of, for example, routes on roofs in St. Petersburg — these are some complex author's routes that require special equipment and special support, — said the interlocutor of Izvestia. — We need to resolve these issues, including paying special attention to the safety of tourists. It's not clear yet, is this an excursion or not an excursion? Or is it a hike with a guide along a difficult route using special equipment?
Sergey Krivonosov is confident that all the tools to solve the problem are already available at the legislative level. All that is missing is the control over the fulfillment of requirements.
"It is important to establish mandatory registration of extreme types of tourist services in the register of the Ministry of Economic Development with subsequent monitoring of the implementation of activities, as well as to introduce additional requirements for transport and drivers: access, length of service, medical examinations," said the State Duma deputy. — It is also necessary, together with the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment of the Russian Federation, to develop a methodology for licensing tourist vehicles and a plan of tourist routes along which it will be possible to legally travel by car with the available permits.
At the same time, he says, it is necessary to strengthen control by the regions, Rospotrebnadzor, traffic police and environmental protection agencies, as well as create and constantly update a "white list" of legal operators.
Umar Aidinov tells how it is already possible to do this business in a "civilized" manner.
— We are registered as a tour operator, and the drivers were additionally trained on our own initiative, — he said. — We called an engineer who understands cars: what kind of roll is acceptable, what kind of slopes are technically possible. Then we chose a natural playground, equipped it with slopes and obstacles so that drivers could learn how to overcome descents, ascents and pits. It was a week-long educational program that was very useful to everyone.
He believes that such a practice could be introduced everywhere — simultaneously with the advent of the concept and accreditation of a jeep.
Izvestia sent a request to the Ministry of Economic Development of the Russian Federation and the Ministry of Resorts, Tourism and Olympic Heritage of the Krasnodar Territory.
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