Published on 03/07/2022 21:48 Updated on 03/07/2022 23:11
FRANCE 2 Article written
The city of Odessa, Ukraine, awaits an imminent attack on Monday, March 7th. The capture of the city would be a disaster for the country, as it is the place of all exchanges and its trade with foreign countries.
Odessa (Ukraine) – an emblematic city and a strategic location on the Black Sea: the last port held by Ukraine, Monday, March 7. It is now invisible, protected by soldiers who are ordered to fire when they are filmed. Sirens sounded five times during the day, announcing the bombing. For now, the Russians continue to strike. Many Ukrainians think they want to take the city without destroying it too much. “They don’t want to rebuild everything. They want to come, seize the port and become its new owners,” says Ana Rudyakova, a professor at Odessa University.
To protect their port, civilians in Ukraine have built barricades of sandbags. Many families flee the city by car or train. 80% of Ukrainian grain exports pass through Odessa. Since 2014, relations between Russia and Ukraine have ceased, and Russia, which had to do without Odessa, has lost a lot of money. The capture of the port would allow it to become indispensable again and restore its rules in the grain market. Odessa is also an important city in the Russian imagination. Its history makes it a city apart.
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