Ukraine: Odessa, the pearl of the Black Sea, defends itself against the worst –

Barricades line the streets of the city center, where only a few halls are open, and only a few dozen people wander among the closed shops. But that’s what the military has in abundance.

Ukrainian and Lebanese Andriy was a television host and soldier who now guards one of the city’s boulevards, the third largest street in Ukraine.

“We’re ready and when the Russians get in here, I’m sure we’ll have the weapons and the brains to fight those stupid Russians,” Efe says.

GOAL ODESA

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Meanwhile, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky confirmed that Russian troops were preparing to bomb Odessa, which he deemed a “historic crime”.

Another scenario the Ukrainian authorities are considering is that Russia will try to isolate Odessa from the rest of Ukraine as Russian troops advance into their occupied territory in the Mykolaiv region, where the bombings took place. they concentrated. recently.

Faced with all these planes, most of the inhabitants of Odessa chose to leave the city and go to the nearest countries such as Romania or Moldova, while others chose to stay.

Among them is Olga, 65, who wears a fur coat and swings through the city through sandbags piled like barricades.

“Where will I be in France?” the lady smiles and adds that Odessa is her city and no one can take her home.

Efe said: “Of course the situation is bad, but it will pass. We will fight,” he said.

WITH HIGH MORAL

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Most of the soldiers deployed with their rifles to defend the city in case Russian troops enter are not older than 25 years.

One of the 21-year-old soldiers, who did not want his name revealed, stands in front of the Odessa Opera and Ballet Theater, one of the city’s most protected historic buildings on the Black Sea coast. It is decorated in Baroque Italian style.

He tells Efe that the Russian troops are “ready” for any advance and will fight at all costs to restore the city’s lost luster.

That brilliance and melody that used to reverberate in the city’s many clubs has now faded, but Pavel Kutsenko, one of the owners of the Ibiza Club, told Efe that the club will “open again soon”.

He is optimistic and says that they will remain in the city “until the end”, that is, “until victory” against the Russians, because, moreover, his family and friends did not leave Odessa.

“Hopefully that will change soon. Summer will come and the fun will return,” he says, although he admits he has “never” seen Odessa with such “empty streets”.

However, the number of people who choose to stay in the strategic city is not small, they are still afraid and will not hesitate to flee if Russia invades Odessa.

Crossing Deribasovskaya boulevard, 18-year-old students Daniel and Svitlana are named after the Spanish admiral José de Ribas, the city’s founder, whose bust crowns the armored street.

“We love our country, we don’t want to leave,” Daniel said, but Svitlana said, “If Ukraine becomes Russia, we will leave too.”

Source: Ulti Mahora

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