It was famously dubbed “Russia’s paradise”, by Catherine the Great’s lover. But as the one-year anniversary of Moscow’s annexation of Crimea approaches all is not well it seems in paradise.<br /><br /> International sanctions are hitting the country hard, “tougher for Crimea than Russia” contends Alexander Lebedev, a Russian investor.<br /><br /> It’s biggest industry – tourism is suffering. Government data shows the number of visitors declined by a third last year.<br /><br /> “Crimea has a very good chance to become if not Sochi, at least the number two resort to Sochi. The only unpleasantness here is that bank cards, I’m talking about Visa and Mastercard – do not work, so I would say to anyone thinking of coming here that they should bring plenty of cash,” said Andrei Lemeshko a visitor to Crimea. <br /><br /> For many locals the biggest worry is the spiralling cost of food. Kyiv’s refusal to recognise the border means it can’t legally export to Crimea directly. <br /><br /> Most supplies come from Russia by ferry but bad weather c
