Russia-Ukraine War: Odessa, a city under fire that still resists

Also in the city of Odessa, the same thing is perceived as was reported in kyiv a month ago: the inhabitants of the so-called “Pearl of the Black Sea”, due to a mythical song composed in the 40s, feel strong and prepared to resist.

When asked about this, they reply that courage has only two colors and that they are precisely those of the Ukrainian flag. They do not even think or imagine themselves subjugated by the yoke of the Kremlin.

In the country’s cultural capital – where Clarion arrived this Friday, after a night trip by train- air raid sirens sound at least three times a day.

When that happens, people on the streets don’t lose their cool. They stop walking, move to a wall and wait a few minutes there until their alertness subsides and silence returns.

Bombs don’t paralyze anyone either. Last Saturday, during Orthodox Easter, the civilian population was attacked for the first time. A well-aimed missile, fired from the high seas, hit the fourth floor of a residential building, just five minutes from downtown. Ten people died.

This Friday, a neighbor puffed out his chest in front of the ruins. He told the envoys of Clarion who work hard to restore it and help the people who survived.

Getting used to the missiles

Bohdam, a builder by profession but turned volunteer, said that for them war is normal. That her children, ages 8 and 15, were born and grew up among missiles. In case there were any doubts, she took out her phone and showed the photo of her two boys in front, each of one, with two tanks.

Three heavily armed soldiers watched him. They were stationed to guard the building and tidy up the area, under a cold and insistent rain. They allowed the envoys of Clarion film and take pictures, but by no means enter the tower. There were no reasons.

In the middle of the construction was a hole five stories in diameter and the risk of collapse was notorious. “Don’t stop filming the cars, look at how the cars of the residents of the neighborhood, innocent and hard-working people, were destroyed,” suggested one of the soldiers, pointing to three exploded vehicles.

“We are not afraid,” said Artem. “We have Ukraine in our chest and in our hearts”, he affirmed, also standing in front of the apartments affected by the bombing. Psychologist, 36 years old, born and raised in Odessa, he is one of the many neighbors who works collecting water in drums to take to Mikolav every day, just a hundred kilometers from here, one of the toughest battlefronts in the southeast.

There they get rid heavy fighting between the Ukrainian resistance and the Russians who keep the Kherson region under control, despite the incessant civil protests against the occupation. In Mikolav, a satellite city of Odessa, there is a lack of water and basic supplies. The situation is critical and requires permanent political, military and humanitarian assistance.

armored city

Meanwhile, Odessa expects new attacks. She is observed from the high seas, by submarines and enemy ships. It is fully shielded. Its historic center, a mixture of Montevideo and Naples, is closed. Partitioned by sandbags. The Opera building, founded in 1810, a relic of humanity, has been classified by the Ukrainian government as one of the cultural heritages that are under serious risk of attack.

Clarion He tried to approach his front, but he ran into the rigor of the military troops who guard the area. They ordered to leave the area immediately. Not a pigeon was flying. The silence was total. It was like seeing the Vatican deserted. Low-voiced conversations echoed.

In Odessa, the beaches are mined. A landing would certainly be a bad idea. The Ukrainian army, modernized and increasingly well armed, is deployed in almost the entire port area. They are skilled in the art of waiting. They already demonstrated it in kyiv. Additionally, anti-aircraft defenses are seen throughout the city’s large Soviet-featured fringes. The missiles that hit are news but not the missiles shot down, that is, the vast majority.

Faced with this panorama of a strengthened city, as happened previously with the capital, the russians don’t seem to know what to do. They are afraid of choosing the wrong “door”, as Bucha and Irpin did wrong. They play throwing missiles from time to time, without a clear strategic plan.

heroic and strategic

It seems that Putin does not want to bomb a city that in the Russian cultural heritage is installed as heroic.

Odessa became the first European city to put up a strong and lasting resistance to Hitler’s troops. The siege lasted 73 days until the Soviet forces, by order of Stalin, managed to expel the Nazis.

For the heroism of the citizens, in 1945 Odessa received the title of Heroic City. “Welcome to the Heroic City of Odessa”, says the sign that crowns the dome of the train terminal where he arrived Clarion.

Putin also wants it for the economy: Odessa It is the main export port Ukraine, where 50% of its cereal production comes from and also the maritime link with the West.

Capturing Odessa would mean completely closing off the south-eastern geographic corridor, not from Crimea, but from the very border with Moldova. It is clear that Odessa does not bear the sad fate of nearby Mariupol.

That is why, while all this is happening, a part of urban life continues. For this reason, its train station accuses the movement of commuter trains that depart without delay towards the towns of the interior. That is why its boulevards with modern cafes are open, at least partially.

“Only the prostitutes left,” joked Rulfan, the driver who transferred Clarion. He wanted to tell that the idle and bohemian life of his city, full of artists, did not stop. In fact, you can see some of that when you take a short walk through its old and conspicuously tree-lined streets.

The Russians are not sitting still. They try from one side. It does not work. They go for the other. Two days ago, two missiles disabled one of the two bridges that connect Odessa with the rest of the region. The strategic Zatoka bridge. Clarion He went to the area and spoke with the soldiers who guard the structure.

“It is a delicate place to be, we do not allow the press to pass”, was the expected response from the men stationed there.

On the other side, fifty kilometers away, are Romania and Moldova, that small and poor country where the war could spill over.

There is also the pro-Russian enclave of Trasnistria, a de facto republic that threatens to start a revolution and add even more instability to what is currently the most troubled region in the world.

Odessa, special envoy

CB​