Posted on 05/21/2022 3:34:15 PM PDT by dennisw
Joe Biden: There's A 'Domestic Terror' Problem In America Once derided as a Kremlin sympathiser, Odessa's Mayor Gennady Trukhanov likes to collect his thoughts before delving into his feelings about Russia and President Vladimir Putin.
"The Russians are on our soil today and they are bombing our cities, killing our people and our soldiers. Our people are dying," the mayor of the southern Ukrainian port city told AFP.
"It is hard for me to speak of any kind of future friendship or relationship. I can't imagine that," the mayor added, his steel-blue eyes flashing as he rails against Russian air strikes, the Black Sea blockade and the millions of tonnes of grain trapped in his ports.
"Putin destroyed everything," he fumed.
Before the war, the 57-year-old Odessa native carved out a polarising career in Ukraine's raucous political scene as a one-time member of former president Viktor Yanukovych's Kremlin-backed party that was overthrown by a popular uprising in 2014.
But even as unrest rattled Ukraine and anti-Russian sentiment surged, Trukhanov continued to rise through the ranks and was elected mayor of Odessa only months after Yanukovych was ousted and violent clashes over the fallout rattled the port city.
But now, with thousands dead and millions displaced in the wake of Russia's invasion, the mayor bristles at the mention of Moscow.
With Russian troops just 120 miles away, Trukhanov oversees the defence of the country's most valuable port amid a suffocating Russian naval blockade that has unleashed economic catastrophe in Ukraine and threatens famine elsewhere if Odessa's bountiful stocks of grain remain landlocked."They are not only destroying our cities and killing our residents, they are also triggering an economic collapse," the mayor said.
The war with Russia has been particularly painful for Odessa, even as the city has avoided the brutal ground fighting ongoing across swathes of eastern and southern Ukraine.
Cleaning up in Odessa after the latest Russian attack
Founded during the reign of Catherine the Great, the city -- with its baroque architecture and sandy beaches -- became emblematic of the glory days of the Russian empire and was later one of the most valuable ports during the Soviet era.
And as Ukraine gained independence, Odessa maintained its deep economic, familial, and cultural ties with Russia along with its own share of accusations in recent years of harbouring pro-Kremlin sympathies.
But the sentiment is changing.
On Friday, a member of Odessa's city council unveiled a proposal to replace the city's streets named after Russian cities and historical figures and be given new names honouring US President Joe Biden and British Prime Minister Boris Johnson.
Gennady Trukhanov, Odessa's mayor today bristles at the mention of Moscow, his former ally
As Trukhanov points out, the centuries of goodwill that once flourished between the cosmopolitan port and Russia is being undercut with every new airstrike.
"With their rockets they think that they are spreading panic and fear among the residents of Odessa," Trukhanov said.
"In fact, they raise the degree of hatred of Odessa residents toward the occupiers and invaders even higher."
In between meetings on Friday, Trukhanov careened through Odessa's grinding traffic in his black Range Rover to visit the scene of a recent air strike, where he sought to reassure residents.
Hands clasped, Trukhanov nodded as locals from the area peppered the mayor with a slew of questions about rebuilding efforts and potential reimbursements.
"It's a crime," said resident Igor Shpagin, 55, while surveying the four-storey hole a Russian strike punched through his apartment building during the Orthodox Easter weekend last month.
"What can we do, this is a war between politicians," added retired police officer Groza Alexander, whose family survived the attack.
The timings of certain strikes have been particularly galling for Odessa residents.
On May 9 amid the festivities to celebrate the victory over Nazi Germany in Moscow, Putin laid flowers in front of a monument honouring the Soviet Union's "hero cities", including Odessa.
Hours later, a barrage of Russian missiles rained down on Odessa.
"What do you expect from someone who bombs children? People are dying every day here," said Alexandra Kaseyenko, a 29-year-old Odessa resident. "It's shocking for a lot of people. We used to be brothers."
Trukhanov shares the dismay at the staggering turn of events.
Russians and Ukrainians together helped defeat Nazi Germany during World War II, the mayor explained.
"No one could have imagined that in 2022 our people -- Ukrainian refugees -- would be hiding in Germany from Russian missiles," he said.
According to a 2004 public opinion poll by the Kyiv International Institute of Sociology, the number of people using Russian language in their homes considerably exceeds the number of those who declared Russian as their native language in the census. According to the survey, Russian is used at home by 43–46% of the population of the country (in other words a similar proportion to Ukrainian) and Russophones make a majority of the population in Eastern and Southern regions of Ukraine:[26]
Autonomous Republic of Crimea — 97% of the population
Dnipropetrovsk Oblast — 72%
Donetsk Oblast — 93%
Luhansk Oblast — 89%
Zaporizhia Oblast — 81%
Odessa Oblast — 85%
Kharkiv Oblast — 74%
Mykolaiv Oblast — 66%
All your typing only confirms my point.
Zelensky ran on a platform of compromising and settling with the Russians. Poroshenko was the guy who unleashed extremist groups like Azov (and many others) to torture and ethnically cleanse Russians.
Unfortunately he quickly went back on his campaign promise and decided not to implement Minsk accords, just like Poroshenko
“IF Putin is trying to gather together all the countries of the USSR.... Who is going to tackle the Ottoman Empire???”
The Poles, just like last time in 1683 under Jan Sobieski.
there’s the rub
“Don’t worry, if Ukraine doesn’t deal with reality, Odessa will next be liberated.”
Liberated. You use that word, but I don’t think you know what it means, particularly in the context of your comment (liberate Odessa, a CITY).
LIBERATE: free (a country, city, or people) from enemy occupation.
I was unaware that Odessa was currently under enemy occupation. Who is occupying it? The Moldovans?
The Minsk Agreements are vague and flawed and very much open to interpretation; and, thus, largely unworkable. unworkable. The stalemate is compounded by Russia itself, which would not even admit it was a party. Thus, the Minsk Agreements were doomed to failure.
Here is a pretty good summary:
https://www.axios.com/2022/02/09/ukraine-minsk-accords
“I was unaware that Odessa was currently under enemy occupation. Who is occupying it? The Moldovans?”
Nope, the Nazis, but never fear, like Mariupol, Odessa will be liberated from them!
“Nope, the Nazis, but never fear, like Mariupol, Odessa will be liberated from them!”
Ah, again with the Nazis. Your side said the “Nazis” were in Donbas, and Azovstol, and Mariupol, which is way to the east of Odessa. And that they were all killed or surrendered. If that’s the case, how is it possible they are now in Odessa? Did they resurrect from the grave, or escape the clutches of their Russian captors? And how many “Nazis” are occupying Odessa, a city of about 1 million people? How come Vlad never mentioned any Nazis in Odessa as one of his excuses for invasion? How come NO ONE mentioned these Nazis in Odessa? Surely the mayor of Odessa would have said something about these Nazis occupying his city. But, nope; not a word.
Too funny.
Russians and red diaper doper baby dark maggots: masters of public affairs. They’re winning the hearts and minds of everyone.
They’re actually throughout Ukraine, which is why this war will end MUCH WORSE for the Money Launderers, as Russia has a big job ahead.
As it is, your friends in Mariupol are now being driven to Moscow where they can explain why killing civilians for sport is something to be proud of, before being sent to the Far East.
Again, you guys should have settled for the initial deal - at least then you could have worked on re-arming to fight again.
“They’re actually throughout Ukraine, which is why this war will end MUCH WORSE for the Money Launderers, as Russia has a big job ahead.”
Where are they “throughout” Ukraine? What are the names of their battalions, or units? We know they can’t be the Azov Battalion, because they are all supposed to be dead or captured. How many are there “throughout” Ukraine? You all were pretty specific as to the numbers of Azov; what about these other legions of Nazis?
“As it is, your friends in Mariupol are now being driven to Moscow where they can explain why killing civilians for sport is something to be proud of, before being sent to the Far East.”
My friends? I don’t know anyone in Mariupol, and never did.
Killing civilians for sport? You mean like the Russians kill civilians for sport? Or do you deny that Russians have indiscriminately killed civilians and committed atrocities?
“Again, you guys should have settled for the initial deal - at least then you could have worked on re-arming to fight again.”
I’m not Ukrainian, so I couldn’t settle anything. But if my home and country were invaded, I’d kill the invaders until I tired of killing them; then I’d kill some more. If my country fell, I’d continue to fight as a partisan. But that’s just me.
You? You sound like you’d surrender if someone so much as farted in your general direction. The Texans I know and to whom I am related would never take the side of a bully who has attacked a smaller and weaker neighbor. But, maybe you’re a transplant from Seattle, where they just LOVE Russians and commies.
You sent me this link:
I wonder if you read the qualifier, at the top. It said:
“VT identifies this as containing propaganda and considerable bias, sourced from a Russian government owned site.”
The article is written by Moscow writer Olga Sukharevskaya, who writes for RT (Russia Times). She is also a known socialist.
BobL doesn’t believe there is Russian propaganda. Maybe he can read this, too. He’ll likely agree with the content — as I’m sure you will — but he’ll ignore the above-reference qualifier.
RT is Russia Today, not Russia Times.
“RT is Russia Today, not Russia Times.”
Whatever, it’s a Russian site, and it is FAR MORE TRUTHFUL than anything from the West.
Ukraine routinely places their fortified firing positions and manpower in civilian structures which is, of course, a war crime. MSM routinely reports destruction of these structures as Russia targeting civilian areas like schools, hospitals, etc. never revealing, of course, that they were, in fact, military targets.
“May 9, 2022 — Sixty people are dead under rubble after a Russian bomb hit a school in eastern Ukraine, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has confirmed.”
Of course, days later I read in alternative media that they removed the bodies of Ukrainian troops from the rubble. The MSM does not ever report those details.
The internet is filled with pictures of Ukrainian troops using schools as barracks.
So I found this new Rybar post very interesting. We will in the future, no doubt, read about the tragic destruction of some of these “kindergartens”, et al.
Rybar
🇺🇦 What does the Nikolaevsky fortified area look like?
When we say that in the regional administration of Nikolaev they are extremely negligent in the accounting and storage of secret documents, we do not deceive at all. Among all the rubbish that litters the desktops of Sienkiewicz and Kim , there are some really important documents.
And we share some of them with you: in a revised and easy-to-read form.
We put on the map of Nikolaev all the objects of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, territorial defense units and national battalions known to us. It turned out here is such a simple scheme.
The coordinates of already published positions are available by the tags #Nikolaev and #goals on our channel.
Previously unpublished items:
▪️Long-term firing point on the Kherson highway:32.036597 46.963051
▪️Long-term firing point:46.963635,32.033802
▪️Long-term firing point:46.85921179613825, 32.02552063253455
▪️Long-term firing point at the old Nikolaevsky cemetery:46.964495, 32.036435
▪️The area of accumulation of manpower of the Armed Forces of Ukraine at the plant “Ocean”: 46.858188, 31.99185
▪️The area of accumulation of manpower of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in the children’s town “Skazka” (basement):46.964247, 31.984844
▪️The area of accumulation of manpower of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in the kindergarten “Skazka” in the Ship area:46.853661, 32.008157
▪️The area of accumulation of manpower of the Armed Forces of Ukraine:46.950317 32.024183
▪️The area of accumulation of manpower of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in kindergarten No. 84:47.00226, 31.99813
▪️The area of accumulation of manpower of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in kindergarten No. 141:47.01081, 31.99804
▪️The area of accumulation of manpower of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in the boiler room:46.99447, 32.00037
▪️The area of accumulation of manpower of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in the garage cooperative:47.003661,31.992337
▪️Warehouse with weapons and ammunition at school No. 43:46.86546203655886, 32.014542587112764
▪️Warehouse with weapons and ammunition at school No. 40:46.86655174474226, 32.023998386489595
▪️Accumulation of APU equipment in the hangar near the railway platform:46.940063 32.024370
▪️Accumulation of APU equipment in the hangar in the river port: #Nikolaev #Ukraine #targets @rybar *Support us:46.937281 31.950467
# 24 is an excellent summary of the Ukrainian war.
It will be derided by FRs resident neocons. They don’t want anyone to read it.
It will create cognitive dissonance in their ranks.
Excellent read, thanks for posting. You might want to make that doc a thread of it’s own.
“Whatever, it’s a Russian site, and it is FAR MORE TRUTHFUL than anything from the West.”
Are you denying RT is a propagandist?
“Are you denying RT is a propagandist?”
EVERY news site is propagandist, but RT called a surrender a SURRENDER, while Western sites called it an ‘evacuation’, so while ALL sites are propagandist, RT is less though, in my opinion.
But I’m open to change that opinion...just haven’t seen anything in that direction yet.
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