A month after the start of the Russian invasion in Ukraine, the city of Odessa remains little affected by the attacks, but the presence of the army remains essential to protect the historical assets of the city.
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This was explained by Maria Bondarenko, a Canadian of Ukrainian origin who has lived in Odessa for four years now.
“You really have to see it to believe it, because Odessa is really a city with a lot of historical heritage. So we have to protect them. There are many statues and architectures, beautiful buildings [qu’on] must protect”, she mentioned at the microphone of Philippe-Vincent Foisy to QUB Radio.
She also explained that the “checkpoints” are not there necessarily out of fear, but rather as preventive measures. They are there to avoid attacks, especially from the sea and from Mykolaiv, she said.
Refusing to leave her country, Maria Bondarenko finds it important to help the army which is struggling to get food and cigarettes. Indeed, the goods which come from outside are redistributed in the hot zones, like Mariupol, Kharkiv and Kyïv.
This is why, with the financial help of friends, Mrs. Bondarenko buys food and cigarettes to offer them to the soldiers who protect Odessa, but her involvement does not stop there. “There are also orphaned children from Mykolaiv who pass through the city of Odessa to go to Moldova or Romania to be safe. We, with the volunteers, we buy sweets, apples, yogurts to give to these children,” she added.
PHOTO COURTESY / MARIA BONDARENKO
Odessa: a city with strong morale
While the Russian forces struggle to gain ground, the citizens of the city of Odessa do not lose hope and keep their spirits up.
“Odessa is a morally very strong city. I think people don’t lose their morale. We try to resist,” mentioned Maria Bondarenko, who also explains that children offer crafts to soldiers to help them keep their spirits up.
“The country has really become like a big family. Half of the country is fighting and the other half is also fighting on another front by doing voluntary activities,” she concluded.