Or to Odessa
That ferry does the circle of the Black Sea.

For what it's worth going into Crimea shouldn't be a problem from Kerch. It would be a there-and-back trip though as there's currently no way you'll get into Ukraine from Crimea. If you're interested you could go there, return to Russia and then either circle north into Ukraine (somewhere north of the Donbass region obviously) or circle south to Georgia as suggested.
Personally I'd go for the latter as the Kaukasus mountains are simply amazing. And you'd be able to visit Stalin's birth house / shrine in Gori.

__________________
Belgium to Nordkapp via Iran | Discover Overland | Destination World

Great alternative, South to Georgia seems a popular route as the Kaukasus mountains seem to be a real plus... Stalins birth house in Gori.. thanks for the tip... regards Phil

__________________

Thank you for the tip.. website link... brilliant ... and very informative. Another vote for Georgia / Turkey... regards Phil

__________________

Remembrance of the second world war is an almost cult-like phenomenon in Russia and the Former USSR. Every town and village has a monument to it. So I think you'd need to be a little selective of where you go as you could literally spend months looking at various monuments.

Volgograd is an absolute must. I would also try to return to the EU via Belarus to see Brest, which is in my opinion the second-most impressive WW2 monument in the Former USSR (after Mamayev Kurgan in Volgograd).

There are also the 11 other 'Hero Cities' with notable WW2 connections. I've been to all of them except Novorossiysk; Kyiv, Tula and Smolensk stand out.

Near Smolensk is Katyn Forest, and a big monument to the Polish officers killed there by the NKVD.

In Belarus is a moving Soviet monument complex known as Khatyn.

There is also a monument to the Kursk Tank Battle somewhere near the city of Kursk, though I have not been there yet.

Near Vladikavkaz is a monument marking the furthest which the Axis Forces got towards the Absheron oil fields near Baku.

If you are interested in older 'war' history, there is Borodino Field between Smolensk and Moscow where the Russians fought Napoleon in 1812.

Earlier still is Kulikovo Field south of Tula where a decisive battle was won against the Golden Horde in the fourteenth century. Also on my list...

As for safety, Russia is very safe, nobody will hassle you when wild camping, people are kind and very helpful though you're unlikely to find anyone who speaks more than a few words of English outside of Moscow and St Petersburg.

You could follow the Volga south to Volgograd, then loop around through southern Russia (Voronezh, Kursk), enter Belarus and exit to Poland.

Hope this gives you some ideas

EO

__________________
EurasiaOverland a memoir of one quarter of a million kilometres by road through all of the Former USSR, Western and Southern Asia.

Thanks EO
Just the information I was looking for.. bits and pieces like this help enormously
... I certainly don't mind being spoilt for choice on war history... Riding through Belgium last year, if I had stopped at every monument I think I would still be there...
regards Phil

__________________

We've been in Russia in September and visited sites around Moscow and Rzev. The area is full of monuments. Lot's of WW2 history. And as EO as it's really part of culture.

If you're close to Moscow then consider to visit the Kubinka tank museum - big collection of tanks including several one-of-a-kind pieces including the German Maus prototype. Worth a visit!

Rgds,
Martin

You already have lots of great info from other writers, all which I agree with.
There are three big outdoor memorial sites near Kursk. Visit them all! Lot's of tanks and artillery pieces.
Volgograd and its museums are a must, as has already been said.
The Caucasus is stunning, but more for natural scenery. The arms museums in Tula are great.
There is a fantastic open air military museum just west of Moscow (just outside of the Ring), not sure of the name. Great museum with lot"s of tanks, planes and artillery pieces. There is also the main military museum a little northeast of city centre.
Kiev is a beautiful city to visit and it also has a good WWII museum on the River next to the big Motherland statue. It also has a very good Afghanistan war museum 100m away including an open air part.
If that is really true about the Ukraine/Caucasus border being closed at the moment, it is disappointing as I wanted to use that next year to visit the Krim on my way to central Asia. People in Kiev told me it was only for Ukrainians and Russians that could not transit and that western Nationals should be ok, but nobody really knew for sure.
Maybe some reader can comment on whether it is fact or just rumour what the situation is.