“The only thing that can stop Putin is strength”, estimated Friday April 28 on franceinfo the Ukrainian deputy for Odessa Oleksiy Goncharenko, while Russian strikes are increasing on several cities in Ukraine. This Thursday, strikes notably hit the capital kyiv during the visit of UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres. “Terror against civilians is the Russian strategy”continues the deputy who welcomes the announcement of deliveries of heavy weapons by the West.
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franceinfo: Do you think that your city of Odessa, in the south of the country, is an objective of Moscow?
Oleksiy Goncharenko : Yes of course. For Putin, there are three sacred cities in Ukraine. These are Sevastopol in Crimea, Odessa and kyiv. The interest in Odessa is explained by a historical question. It is the most French of the cities in Ukraine because the first governor of Odessa was the Duke of Richelieu, who later became the Prime Minister of France after the restoration.
Are Russian forces closing in on Odessa?
The Russians want to take Odessa but they can’t. There are Russian forces in Transnistria (note: in Moldova, on the southern border of Ukraine) but they are not very numerous. They are not strong enough to attack Odessa. In addition, there is very good morale now in Ukraine. Many people want to take up arms. I myself for three weeks was in the national guard in kyiv. Many people like me took up arms to protect the country. The only thing we need are weapons. That’s the only problem we have.
Westerners announce for the first time the delivery of heavy weapons. Is it important to you?
Yes, it is very important. I want to thank the French government because France is the country that helps us the most after Poland. Now many countries are helping Ukraine with deliveries of heavy weapons. It’s the only thing that can stop Putin. He only understands strength. The bombardments, especially of kyiv during the visit of the UN Secretary General, is Vladimir Putin’s response and it is his way of saying that he does not want peace. Vladimir Putin wants to keep killing and destroying. This is the Russian way of waging war. During this attack on kyiv, residential houses were hit. In Odessa, I was with my three-year-old son when eight people were killed in strikes. It’s like that all the time: schools, hospitals, museums, theaters are affected. This is Vladimir Putin’s strategy: terror against civilians. Still, I’m sure we’ll win, I’m sure of that. We fight not only for Ukraine, but also for universal values: democracy and human dignity.