Residents of the historic city on Ukraine's coast are confident it will not fall to Russian forces.
Amid the whining air raid sirens, the checkpoints, neighbourhood patrols, and enduring fears of Russian attacks - from the sea, air, or land - the historic and cosmopolitan Ukrainian resort city of Odesa is gently trying to reconnect with its famously relaxed holiday spirit, as if embracing it were a form of defiance against the Kremlin.
"The city is coming alive, I feel. I think the fear is going away a bit. People believe in our army, which is protecting us, and feel comfortable, feel safe. I don't think the Russian army is winning," said Alexander Hodosevich, a drummer for an instrumental psychedelic band, sitting with a group of friends after finishing an hour-long set at the More Music club.
In Kherson, the first city to be seized by Russian troops a month ago, occupying security forces are now being accused of using excessive force against civilian protesters, and of abducting or arresting local leaders to try to contain popular unrest. In Odesa, there is enormous gratitude for the way Ukrainian soldiers in places like Mykolaiv and Voznesensk have stood their ground and blocked Russian land forces from moving further west. But what about an amphibious landing?The security analyst Hanna Shelest believes that Odesa could have fallen to Russia if pro-Moscow leaders had engineered a surrender in the opening days of the war.
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