A car destroyed by one of Russia’s missiles that crashed in Odessa on April 24. Photo: AFP
At 6:30 pm on Saturday, three Russian missiles fired from the Black Sea hit Odessa airport. Preliminary data indicate that the air terminal runway was completely destroyed and disabled.
The group of Clarion, assigned to this same city, was back from the range in nearby Mykolaiv when he saw a column of smoke from the road. No casualties have been reported so far.
Is he second attack suffered by the most important city in southern Ukraine in less than a week. Last Saturday, in celebration of Orthodox Easter, another missile hit a residential building five minutes from the historic center, killing ten people.
At the same time, those staying in hotels in the city of Odessa received the following notification on Saturday: “Dear guests, we would like to inform you that there will be a curfew from 10 pm on Sunday, May 1 to 5 am on Tuesday, May 3. During that time they will not be able to leave the establishment because it will be further prohibited by the city authorities. The restaurant is not open on days 1 and 2. Breakfast will be served as usual. We hope you have a great productive day and of course there is peace. “
In this way, the government of Odessa, the pearl of the Black Sea, notified a section of the population about the decision of a new total curfew for this armored city.
Ukrainian soldiers on a street in Odessa. Photo sent by Sergio Araujo to Clarin
Odessa police released unexpected information late Saturday: they pointed out that inside the city they saw the presence of pro-russian criminal gangshired by Moscow, to incite protests and sow instability in the streets.
Cessation of supposedly marginal but operative organizations is one of the goals to be achieved within the 36 hours the curfew will last.
permanent alert
A similar measure was also announced in the Zapohiriya region. It will start, as advertised by the hotels, this Sunday night and run until early Tuesday morning. Despite the fact that in this so -called green area – the vicinity of the train terminal and the vicinity of the Opera House – Odessa is considered to be moving, the fact is that it is in a permanent state of alert.
Residents here try to liven up life, drinking coffee in downtown bars and walking in squares and parks, but nonetheless, every time the sirens sound against the aircraft they remember that they were not abandoned by war. This Saturday, the new attack once again presented them with reality.
A week ago, in the first attack on civilians, in between ten casualtieshad a complete family: mother, father, son and grandmother.
A man also smoked inside his car. Authorities believe Russia will try new attacks in the coming days, especially by air, from ships and submarines assigned to the ocean.
They understand that the port city has become the new obsession of the Kremlin and prepare for more war.
They also feel the pressure coming from Transnistria, the pro-Russian enclave within the borders of Moldova, which threatens to start a revolution.
A building hit by a Russian missile in Odessa. Photo Sergio Araujo, sent by Clarín
Transnistria is only 50 kilometers from Odessa. Many point out that it is an armed area. A kind of powder keg of the region. But expert Ukrainian analysts are also lowering the price of this seemingly sleeping animal character. They say that pictures of old weapons are coming from there, that soldiers are wearing helmets that can’t withstand bullets now and that in any case there is an army there that is not much trained to start actions against in a city of over a million inhabitants.
Massive Attack?
Ukraine is not relaxed. For President Volodimir Zelensky, Odessa is under extreme danger of a massive attack, which could happen before May 9. That is why its entire port area was taken over by militias.
Curfews were ordered to conduct operations of against sabotage. Every time a measure of this kind is announced, it happens that the Government wants to “clean up” possible spies the situations in which they draw up their defense strategies and architectures.
Ukrainian intelligence, as it did in kyiv in the days of Russia’s greatest siege, suggests that Russian agents infiltrated inside the country may be offering valuable information to the invading troops.
This information can range from military checkpoints in specific areas to maps pinpointing the location of anti-aircraft artillery or scenarios that aid in a hypothetical landing, something as invisible as possible. so far.
The concrete, in any case, reads the curfew measure, during the war, as a stage created by military authorities to “hunt down spies.” That’s what’s about to happen in the wonderful city of Odessa in the next few hours.
Odessa, special envoy
CB
Source: Clarin