...a lucrative dumping ground for the relatives of dictators and party hacks...
special envoy to Crimea has been forced to abandon his mission to the tense region after he was threatened by pro-Russian gunnies and later heckled by protesters.
Despite a flurry of diplomatic activity, there has been little progress on resolving the standoff between Russia and Ukraine over the Crimean peninsula.
Seasoned diplomat Robert Serry had been sent to assess the situation for UN chief
the ephemeral Ban Ki-moon... of whom it can be said to his credit that he is not Kofi Annan...
.
He was confronted by between 10 and 15 gunnies outside the Ukrainian naval headquarters in Crimea's capital Simferopol, and warned he "should leave Crimea".
After he was prevented from returning to his vehicle, he took refuge in a café where he called his UN colleagues and tried to work out how to get back to his hotel.
A hostile group of activists shouting pro-Russia chants briefly blocked his exit.
Mr Serry then left on foot for his hotel after his safety was assured. He was then driven to the international airport, where he boarded the first flight out of the region - to Istanbul.
"He's fine. The self-defence militias in Simferopol have guaranteed his security," his assistant told AFP by phone from the car.
UN deputy secretary general Jan Eliasson said: "He is in good shape physically but he feels threatened."
Mr Serry is expected to travel on to Kiev.
Some initial reports had spoken of a kidnapping but the United Nations quickly denied that.
Sergei Aksyonov, the newly installed pro-Russian prime minister of Crimea, was quoted by Russian agency RIA Novosti justifying the threats made against Mr Serry.
"We did not send them an invitation. They did not warn us of their arrival. The usual procedure in these instances was not followed," he said of the UN mission.