Odesa

[Rogue Valley]

The Russians are fighting to get to Odesa, and I fear they will destroy the city that is known as the "Pearl of the Black Sea".

This is just short of an hour's worth of video taking an early morning walk in Odesa, Ukraine. I lived in Odesa for about a year. This is Ukraine's third largest city and is an international port on the Black Sea where there are golden beaches. However, the city itself sits on a high steppe above the beaches. For this reason, the world famous Potemkin Stairs were created by Italian architect Francesco Boffo linking the harbor with the city above. The stairs are an optical illusion... looking up from below only the 192 stairs are visible. Looking down from above, only the 10 landings are visible. There are also electric trolly cars to transport people up and down. The climate in Odesa is warm and temperate. Although Odesa has a winter and snow, it far nicer there than more northern cities such as Kyiv. Russian is the majority language, but all signage is in Ukrainian. Odessa (Оде́сса) is the Russian spelling, Odesa (Оде́са) is the Ukrainian spelling. The city has an international feel due to the commercial port, and there is also a long cruise ship dock which juts out into the harbor. It isn't difficult to find English speakers in this city. The city architecture is mostly in the European Renaissance style, although the hotels down by the beaches are moderninst. Many city boulevards and sidewalks are made of cobbestone which also provides a European feel. Odesa is very big on every form of art and music. At about 21:13 of the video you arrive at a gorgeous semi-circular building. This is the Odesa Opera House. I lived about a 10 minute walk from there. The longtime Mayor of Odesa, Gennadiy Trukhanov, is suspected of belonging to the Ukrainian crime syndicate and laundering money via London by buying multi-million pound properties in the city. That said, Trukhanov keeps Odesa looking clean, vibrant, and makes sure every city department works for the citizens.

 

[ChickenTendies]

If peace are negotiations are progressing as fast as both sides claim they are, Odessa won't even be on the frontlines

 

[MamboDervish]

The Russians are fighting to get to Odesa, and I fear they will destroy the city that is known as the "Pearl of the Black Sea".

This is just short of an hour's worth of video taking an early morning walk in Odesa, Ukraine. I lived in Odesa for about a year. This is Ukraine's third largest city and is an international port on the Black Sea where there are golden beaches. However, the city itself sits on a high steppe above the beaches. For this reason, the world famous Potemkin Stairs were created by Italian architect Francesco Boffo linking the harbor with the city above. The stairs are an optical illusion... looking up from below only the 192 stairs are visible. Looking down from above, only the 10 landings are visible. There are also electric trolly cars to transport people up and down. The climate in Odesa is warm and temperate. Although Odesa has a winter and snow, it far nicer there than more northern cities such as Kyiv. Russian is the majority language, but all signage is in Ukrainian. Odessa (Оде́сса) is the Russian spelling, Odesa (Оде́са) is the Ukrainian spelling. The city has an international feel due to the commercial port, and there is also a long cruise ship dock which juts out into the harbor. It isn't difficult to find English speakers in this city. The city architecture is mostly in the European Renaissance style, although the hotels down by the beaches are moderninst. Many city boulevards and sidewalks are made of cobbestone which also provides a European feel. Odesa is very big on every form of art and music. At about 21:13 of the video you arrive at a gorgeous semi-circular building. This is the Odesa Opera House. I lived about a 10 minute walk from there. The longtime Mayor of Odesa, Gennadiy Trukhanov, is suspected of belonging to the Ukrainian crime syndicate and laundering money via London by buying multi-million pound properties in the city. That said, Trukhanov keeps Odesa looking clean, vibrant, and makes sure every city department works for the citizens.

Beautiful. It goes without saying that Odessa is, at least in some part, key to resupplying the Ukrainian war effort by sea. But it's also critical to maintain a corridor north from Odessa, deep into Ukraine where those supplies might be desperately needed - and it is cutting off that resupply corridor that seems to be the objective of Putin's westward advancing military forces.

Nothing would tickle me more than for a billionaire oligarch's yacht to be used for that resupply to Odessa. It might have no problem slipping by the Russian navy.