Although we are already in the 12th day of the war after the Russian invasion, anxiety over the fate of the city known as the "pearl of the Black Sea" is now at its peak. Odessa, a 19th century Greek colony and Ukraine's fourth largest city, is in Russia's crosshairs, with the countdown to a large-scale offensive now underway.
And this is no coincidence. It is a city of key geostrategic importance, with its port, its rich and long-standing history and the special semantics it carries for Ukraine as an independent state.
Fears are growing that after Kharkiv and Mariupol, this is what will be the next Russian target. Especially considering that the Russian army continues to occupy territory in the east of the country: from the north, where the offensive is intensifying, to the south, and the Black Sea coast.
As is already known, the situation in Mariupol remains particularly difficult, with the siege becoming increasingly suffocating. Civilians are trapped, without electricity, with food running out. If Mariupol falls and Odessa comes under Russian control, Ukraine's only way out to sea will be closed. Moscow closes the coastal zone and turns Ukraine into a continental state, i.e. an enclosed one. This will have tragic consequences not only for Kiev, but also for the rest of the country. Everything indicates that the Kremlin's strategic objective is to occupy the entire eastern part of the country, dividing it in two and leaving the rest of it isolated and without access to the Black Sea. Apart from making it difficult to approach any foreign aid and assistance, it puts Ukraine out of business.
It is thus attempting to turn it into an unviable state. On the other hand, by occupying Odessa, Russia seems to be aiming to unify the coastal zone with Crimea. One only has to look at the map to realise that its aim is to unite Crimea on land with the Russian mainland and to control the Sea of Azov. According to NATO intelligence as well, it is only a matter of time before a major and coordinated Russian attack on the port of Odessa. On the other hand, the United States does not believe that a Russian amphibious assault on Odessa is certain, a senior U.S. defense official said
But in case they take Kharkiv, they will be able to surround the Ukrainian troops on the border with Donbass. The people of Odessa are trying tooth and nail to maintain a semblance of normality as they prepare for the worst.
Families are filling the trunks of their cars to leave. According to one city councilman, Mikhail Smukhkovich, more than 100,000 people have already fled the city, one of four whose population exceeds 1 million.
"It will be a historic crime," Zelensky said in new videos, expressing fear of the impending attack. "They are preparing to bomb Odessa. Russians have always come to Odessa and felt nothing but warmth and sincerity. And now what? Bombs against Odessa, artillery against Odessa? It will be a war crime, it will be a historical crime."
Odessa has always had a special significance for Greece as well. It is not only the expatriates who live there, but also the Museum of the Society of Friendship. The creation of the Society of Friends there makes it one of the most important centres of Hellenism abroad.
Source: protothema.gr
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