The last two nights have witnessed intense Russian aerial attacks on Odesa, the southern Ukrainian port city, during the ongoing 17-month-long war. Odesa has always been Ukraine’s gateway to the global economy and is home to its busiest ports.
Following Russia’s withdrawal from an internationally supported wartime agreement that allowed Ukraine to export grain across the Black Sea, particularly from Odesa, the city’s significance has once again become apparent.
Let’s take a closer look at Odesa and its role in the war:
What is the history of Odesa?
Founded in 1794 by Empress Catherine the Great on land acquired from the Ottoman Empire, Odesa holds economic, symbolic, and strategic importance. It was established on the site of the Black Sea fortress town of Khadzhibei.
In 1855, Robert Sears’ guide to the Russian Empire stated, “There is perhaps no town in the world in which so many different languages can be heard as in the streets and coffeehouses of Odessa.” He mentioned the presence of “Russians, Tartars, Greeks, Jews, Poles, Italians, Germans, French, etc.”
In many ways, Odesa represents the opposite of President Vladimir V. Putin’s Russian ethnic nationalism. However, for Mr. Putin, who sees himself on a historic mission to rebuild the Russian Empire, Odesa holds a special place in his conquest.
What has occurred in Odesa during the war?
In the initial weeks after Mr. Putin ordered a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, Odesa remained relatively untouched. The first reported bombing of the city occurred nearly a month after the invasion began, targeting the outskirts of the city with no reported casualties.
Moscow had hoped to swiftly overthrow the Ukrainian government in Kyiv, sending fighters towards the capital in the early days of the invasion. Russian warships also posed a threat to the coast, but the Kremlin seemed determined to claim Odesa without destroying the city known as “the pearl of the Black Sea.”
Although Russia’s forces were pushed back from Kyiv, they have continued to inflict damage on the Ukrainian economy by imposing a de facto naval blockade on the ports in and around Odesa. Despite setbacks and their current focus on holding onto captured land, Russia has targeted Odesa’s shipping facilities with missiles and drones to destroy the infrastructure that enables Ukraine, a major grain exporter, to feed the world.
What is Odesa’s significance in the grain deal?
The three ports surrounding Odesa are Ukraine’s largest and include the only deepwater port…
2023-07-19 10:35:32
Original from www.nytimes.com
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