When? Russian invasion mayor of ukraine Odessa It took five days to command the aggression, and five endless days to condemn it. big bombing It served as a deadly umbrella for the Kremlin troops to enter the territory of Ukraine. “He chose to wait to see what happens,” says the opposition councillor now. Petro Obukov In one of the parks called ‘Pearl of the Black Sea’, historically the most cosmopolitan, slut of literary and Ukrainian cities. “Like the district governor, he thought the Russians could take Kiev in a few days, and then feared the backlash of a large part of his electorate. Moscow”. Not in vain, in the last municipal elections (2020) Pro-Russian parties they won almost half of the seats on the council.
He’s the mayor, a veteran Gennady Trujanovhe eventually publicly condemned the invasion and survived in office unlike the governor who was politically beheaded by the president. Volodymyr Zelensky on the seventh day. But his story shows: first attitude towards this war an important part of Odessa citizens, a city identities the Crusades Y allegiances polygamous, Russian as proud of its essence and its European hybridization as russian imperial legacy Until Putin hurled himself to tear the country apart with blood and fire. An ongoing disaster has not only forced the city to rethink what to do with its past, but has also plunged some of its residents into a sort of impasse. internal exile while subverting the multinational feelings of others.
” Russian language and culture It is an integral part of most of us, but we have been living in great turmoil ever since this terrible war began. How can you let go of something so deeply rooted in your identity?” asks Ukrainian Kateryna Yergueva. Literary Museum mostly dedicated to Russian writers. Pushkin He lived in exile in Odessa and others Chekhov, Tolstoy, Mayakovsky anyone Akhmatova They visited him regularly. “Russian literature is a strange legacy“, get to know. “We have to find a new way to talk about it because high culture is not responsible for what the Putin regime has done. World Heritage”.
Catherine the Great Statue
A group Ukrainian historians He wanted Russian writers expelled from the museum, something similar to the more than 25,000 signatures the City Council had requested. dismantling the statue dedicated Catherine the GreatThe Russian empress, who founded Odessa, occupied the moderates in the military garrison after conquering the Ottomans in 1794. And whether it’s a salad bowl of French, Jews, Italians, Greeks, Ukrainians or Armenians that gives the city its character, this will be the beginning of more. two centuries of Russian domination -and later Soviet- from Odessa. Today, under the pedestal of the arrogant empress, you can read a graffiti that reads “Assassin”.
this derussification Actually, the road, which started in 2014, divides the city in two. Or at least the thickness of the brush to hide the past. “I adore the monument visually”, recognizes the historian Babich Alexander It refers to the statue of Caterina II from the former offices of the travel agency. They have been transformed into a logistics center where groups of volunteers collect donated materials. ukrainian army. Next to his desk is a photo of Putin with the crosshair pointing at his head. “For a long time I was happy to review our common history, but as a Ukrainian now umbilical cord with Russia. It’s like cutting off a living body, which is why it’s so painful.”
real estate market
What really disappears from Odessa is the Russians, who monopolize a significant part of its tourism. real estate market. From homes to hotels or various businesses. “There are no reliable statistics, but most of them are sold after they are sold. annexation of Crimea All transactions are now frozen,” says Iryna Kolodko, a businesswoman in the industry. Kolodko explains that Russians with residence and family in Ukraine are technically still allowed to sell. notaries they do not operate operations for fear of extras behind them. “The industry had its golden days before 2014. Odessa was for Russians like Saint Petersburg. They bought very expensive mansions and apartments,” he adds from a cafeteria. It was also his playground. mafia bossesHe came to the city by private jet.
There’s nothing left of either heated political debate one day he was released on his streets, fortifications appeared after the invasion, when it was believed that the Kremlin would try to attack the city. No one thinks that this goal has been abandoned, but it is clear that Russia is not in a position to attempt it at the moment. ” Pro-Russian population it has not manifested itself since the beginning of the war, it is very dangerous for them”, explains councilor Obukov. “Some changed their positions when they realized who the real attacker was. Others left the country and most remained silent.”
And there are also Russian-Ukrainian others who are not affiliated with the Kremlin, but emotionally devastated by the war. His identity is torn. “I feel a commitment to love inside of me. russian homelandbut I am very disappointed politically”, he assures Angelika Ihnatenko, a real estate agent born in Russia, married to a Ukrainian soldier and residing in the country for thirty years. “Every time one of these horrific attacks happens, I feel tremendous pain, even on a physical level. I dream every day that the nightmare is over and I wake up again with this torture. It takes so long,” says the 51-year-old woman.