While waiting for the Russian assault, Odessa becomes a fortress

The soldier melts into a long embrace with his wife and daughter, before splitting hard in front of the barricade that blocks access to the sublime Opera House in Odessa, a historic Ukrainian city.

The so-called “Pearl of the Black Sea” lives scenes of strange everyday life, between the sweetness of the arrival of spring and the expectation of a Russian attack that has been announced several times.

Still sheltered from the horrors of war in the north and east of the country, Odessa seems suspended at a diffuse time. The army and the city council organize visits for journalists, whom they thank for “showing the world what is happening here”.

To access the historic center, transformed into an obstacle course of sandbags and crosswise welded iron beams, with tanks at the intersections, it is necessary to show credentials; escorted by soldiers, journalists are then instructed on what they can and cannot filming, although the atmosphere is relaxed.

Founded at the end of the 19th century by the Russian Empress Catherine II and the Duke of Richelieu, the center of this city was lively in peacetime, with its trendy cafes and the luxurious Hotel Paris offering stunning views of the harbor.

And, of course, with the 192 steps of the Potemkin staircase, where the Soviet Sergey Eisenstein filmed one of the most famous scenes in the history of cinema (in “The Battleship Potemkin”, 1925).

“Be careful! Stay safe! “: surreal in silence, the funicular loudspeaker announces possible air strikes at regular intervals; shots are sometimes heard from the port.

Dominating the stairs, the statue of the Duke of Richelieu, entirely covered with bags of earth, has traveled around the world. The one of Catherine II, taller and less exposed, has a Ukrainian flag for protection.

- “Impregnable Fortress” -

Lyudmila, an elegant old woman with lips painted in a screaming tone, returns home. He has always lived here. “Our beautiful Odessa,” he sighs, looking with an air of apology at the empty streets with barricades. “I don't know if there is another city like this in the world. But thank God, we put up with it! ”

“It hurts to see our historical heritage covered in dirt bags and barricades, but we are ready,” adds Diana Krainova, the smiling young soldier in charge of the press.

A few blocks away, Maria, a tiny sixty-year-old woman carrying large plastic bags full of groceries, rushes to her building, whose entrance is blocked by tires. “I've lived here all my life, it's terrible to see that,” he says before slipping away. And suddenly, without warning, the mayor, Gennadiy Rukhanov, appears, accompanied by some officials.

Born in Odessa, mayor since 2014, the controversial city councilor - his name had been quoted in Panama newspapers about personalities suspected of tax evasion and money laundering - stops to talk to journalists.

“We had rehabilitation plans for the city centre and here we are, thinking about war. It's a nightmare, it doesn't make sense,” she says, before repeating, like everyone else, that Odessa is “ready” to face the Russians.

“The heroic cities of Mikolaiv and Kherson (east of Odessa) are resisting the aggressive army. It gave us 21 days to prepare (...) and make our city an impregnable fortress,” he says.

Ukraine's first port on the Black Sea, Odessa, with one million inhabitants before the war (although more than 100,000 have already fled, according to the municipality), is a strategic and symbolic goal for Russians.

cf/edy/aoc/js