Odessa between sea and sky

We imagine the eyes full of concern turned towards the open sea, we only imagine them because the seafront can be seen from afar. Everything is militarized. Dams difficult to cross. Especially for individuals who are not from the region. Caution bordering on mistrust. Who is not from the area may be a spy saboteur in location.

As indicated by Vanessa Descouraux, senior reporter (France Inter) and Marc Garvenes, technical reporter (Radio France) – who after filming in Lviv and Kiev, went down to Odessa – there is a reality here that is different from that of Kiev. .

Kyiv and Odessa

In Kiev, the Ukrainian capital, the streets were deserted and life was organized underground. The rare queues on the surface stretched out in convenience stores and pharmacies. At the crossroads of the city, and where the trenches were dug, speech was easier, freer, because it came from civilians who were organizing to defend their city.

In Odessa, it is really the military structure that governs everything, under the yoke of an implacable bureaucracy reminiscent of the Moscow system. Nothing could be more normal, Odessa is a former Soviet naval base, which means that Russian culture is very present there. This does not prevent the inhabitants of the oblast from being determined to defend their streets and their monuments against the forces of Vladimir Putin. And if the Ukrainian soldiers are visible, the inhabitants are also visible in their activity to consolidate the defense systems.

The beach is unrecognizable, smashed with shovels. Human chains organize the transport of sandbags to reinforce positions or protect heritage. The statue of Richelieu for example, founder of the city, we only see his head.

Vanessa Descouraux and Marc Garvenes have been in Odessa for a week, and in this precarious calm where a few restaurants and bars are still open, in an icy atmosphere, the city is preparing for the worst, and still wants to believe that the Russians will not attack. But between the flight of six missiles overhead on Friday March 4 and an alarm clock on Saturday March 5 with warning sirens ringing for nearly two hours at daybreak, apprehension is growing.

War is shifting ground: space-time is no longer the same

In a country at war, visible or invisible stress affects the population, those who fight, but also humanitarians and journalists who come here to work. In safety, on such terrains, zero risk does not exist. A place said to be secure at 2 p.m. may no longer be so at 5 p.m.

Minutes become hours, days become weeks. And one of the best guarantees remains calm, composure. Stay focused on your smallest movements, on foot or by car. No room for chance. Vanessa Descouraux explains that the trip from point A to point B requires meticulous study of the route before each movement.

For Vanessa and Marc, the time to leave came after two long weeks in Ukraine. As always, they are animated by contradictory feelings. Relieved to return home, to their loved ones, but without stopping to turn around, a last look at the city they are leaving, with a thought for those they have met and who remain there. Who will probably still suffer. And Vanessa, who wants to come back to cover this news, wonders in what state she will find Ukraine in her next report. Everything has changed so much in 15 days.