Please enable JS and disable any ad blocker two pro-Ukrainian activists from gun shots (Maksym Voytenko/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images) a tragic incident occurred in the southern Ukrainian port city of Odesa becoming one of the most widely exploited narratives in Russian propaganda as more than 1,000 Ukrainian activists gathered in the city to show support for the Ukrainian government a group of pro-Russian protestors showed up to meet them — many armed with clubs They began violently attacking the Ukrainian activists two of whom were shot and killed as the events unfolded The activists and those outraged by the attack began to fight back "It began with them throwing cobblestones at us," Victoria Sybir, a former secretary of a volunteer civilian defense group formed in Odesa to repel attacks on protesters but then two (Ukrainian activists) were killed after being shot," she said the Ukrainian activists dismantled a tent encampment set up by the other side forcing the pro-Russian group to barricade themselves in Odesa's Soviet-era Trade Unions Building It was from there that the pro-Russian protestors began throwing Molotov cocktails and explosives to fight off those standing outside, the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) found in an investigation following the event The activists began launching Molotov cocktails at the building in response Another six people were killed that day during the clashes Russia has continued to use the tragic events in its propaganda Russian media alleged that the real number of casualties in the fire was much higher and many conspiracy theories were circulated to exploit the tragedy a 2014 Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) committee report found also figure in Russia's justification for its 2022 full-scale invasion of Ukraine falsely portraying the events as a "massacre during which aggressive 'Ukrainian Nazis' had locked peaceful pro-federalists in the Trade Union Building and had burnt them alive," the European court said in its findings of the events A scene from the deadly clashes between pro-Ukrainian and pro-Russian activists in Odesa (Maksym Voytenko/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images)A common refrain in Russian propaganda used to legitimize its aggression against Ukraine is the baseless and fabricated notion that Ukrainians are "Nazis" and that the Ukrainian government is a "Nazi regime." The scene — while a flashpoint in the political chaos in Ukraine at the time — was no isolated event. As Ukraine's EuroMaidan Revolution evolved from a small protest movement to a full-blown uprising from late 2013 through the early months of 2014 Russia seized on the tense moment to sow unrest in the country the Russian-linked violent groups that would become known as the "AntiMaidan" began appearing at protests Russia was found to be behind some of the AntiMaidan groups around the country, according to a PACE fact-finding mission in 2014 The revolution reached a bloody climax in February 2014, when security forces backing pro-Russian President Viktor Yanukovych opened fire on protestors Yanukovych shortly thereafter fled to Russia, and Moscow quickly capitalized on the power vacuum by annexing Crimea and arming Russian-controlled proxy forces in Ukraine's eastern Luhansk and Donetsk oblasts Russia similarly tried to foment anti-government Russia-sympathetic protest movements in Kharkiv and Odesa in the months after the revolution Local activists formed civil defense groups that fought back against — at times violently — Russia's moves to recreate its success in Donetsk and Luhansk with the help of proxies and local collaborators Moscow's attempts in Odesa were not insignificant. The Kremlin had deployed its agents to undermine local authorities, backed street clashes, and fueled the spread of disinformation about the revolution roughly 30% of Odesa's population identified as ethnic Russians Some local officials also held sympathetic views toward Russia In an interview with Radio Svoboda, Serhii Dibrov, a Ukrainian reporter and expert from the public organization "The May 2 group," said the Russian consulate in Odesa was one of the biggest in the world used as a getaway for Russian money lobbying its interests in the oblast through local political parties The European Court of Human Rights concluded in a 2025 ruling that pro-Russian activists in Odesa were aided by some local authorities and police during the attack on the rally dozens of policemen were found to have stood idly by in a line with their backs to the attackers Some police even ignored the fact that protestors had been shot "A pro-Russian activist wearing a balaclava was seen firing numerous shots in the direction of pro-unity supporters" around the time when the first pro-Ukrainian activist was shot After the fires in the building started, the local State Emergency Service department ignored numerous calls to the building for about half an hour per their chief's order Instead of waiting for first responders to arrive at the scene of the fire some activists jumped out of the building's windows Others were evacuated with the help of activists outside the local police arrested sixty-three people who were still in the building several hundred pro-Russian activists stormed the local police building where the arrested protesters were held who helped the pro-Russian movement and subsequently fled to Russia International observers found that Ukrainian authorities many of whom were part of Yanukovych's pro-Russian Party of Regions did little at the time to investigate the events and prosecute those responsible partly explained by Ukraine's tumultuous transition after the revolution The ECHR ruled on March 13, 2025, that the Ukrainian government failed to prevent and properly investigate the deaths of 48 people in the clashes. The court found that there was not enough conclusive evidence to prove that Russia had orchestrated the clashes — "especially given the covert nature of the alleged involvement." It acknowledged, however, Russia's involvement in instigating the violence through information warfare and, possibly, Russian-controlled saboteurs on the ground. "The relevant (Ukrainian) authorities failed to show sufficient thoroughness and diligence in initiating and/or pursuing the investigations (of the clashes)," said a 2015 report of the International Advisory Panel of the Council of Europe cited by the court. Natalia Yermak is a staff writer for the Kyiv Independent She previously worked as a fixer-producer and contributing reporter for the New York Times since the start of the full-scale Russian invasion she worked in film production and documentary The world is full of distorted versions of Ukrainian history The Kyiv Independent wanted to make sure readers had a reliable source of information about important Ukrainian historical events and cultural traditions.The articles featured here are thorough and detailed pieces that span centuries to the current day and include topics from Ukraine’s presidents to the country’s culinary traditions The unprecedented operation allegedly took place on May 2 near the Russian port of Novorossiysk in the Black Sea Вы используете блокировщик рекламы в вашем браузере В этом случае Вы не сможете пользоваться всеми функциональными возможностями нашего сайта и его отдельными страницами который мы используем для отображения видеоконтента активированный блокировщик рекламы может вызывать проблемы с загрузкой сайта и корректным его отображением чтобы получить возможность использовать наш сайт в полной мере внесите Dynamo.kiev.ua в «белый список» вашего блокировщика что любые попытки обсуждения этого и других решений редакции сайта немедленно влекут за собой ограничение по п.2.9 правил сайта The UPL Directorate has approved the dates and start times for the matches of matchday 29 of the Ukrainian Championship for the 2024/2025 season. Within this framework, Kyiv’s Dynamo will play away against Chernomorets The schedule of matchday 29 may be adjusted based on the results of matchday 28 Нажимая на кнопку, вы соглашаетесь с условиями членства в фан-зоне конвертировать карму в шурики Устанавливайте наше приложение и всегда оставайтесь в курсе футбольных новостей Show Comments Load More This weekend marks the 11th anniversary of 48 ethnic Russians burnt alive by far-right thugs in Odessa a massacre that spurred independence declarations in Donbass leading to civil war in Ukraine and Russia’s eventual intervention On May 2, 2014, Neo-Nazi gangs massacred 48 people who had rejected the U.S.-backed overthrow of a democratically-elected government in Kiev earlier that year. The deliberately-set fire in the Trade Unions Building in Odessa has never been satisfactorily investigated by Ukrainian authorities Eight days later two ethnic Russian majority oblasts in the east declared independence from Ukraine leading to the U.S.-backed war against them by the unconstitutional government Eight years later Russia intervened in the civil war role in the 2014 unconstitutional change of government and the part played by Neo-Nazis in Ukraine corporate media and their “anti-disinformation” allies are still trying to hide “The key to all these unsavory alliances is for the American people not to know about the real nature of these U.S Ukrainian anti-regime protesters holed up in a building were killed by fires set by pro-regime attackers with ties to newly formed neo-Nazi security forces In Ukraine a grisly new strategy bringing in neo-Nazi paramilitary forces to set fire to occupied buildings in the country’s rebellious southeast appears to be emerging as a favored tactic as the coup-installed regime in Kiev seeks to put down resistance from ethnic Russians and other opponents The technique first emerged on May 2 [2014] in the port city of Odessa when pro-regime militants chased dissidents into the Trade Unions Building and then set it on fire As some 40 or more ethnic Russians were burned alive or died of smoke inhalation the crowd outside mocked them as red-and-black Colorado potato beetles Afterwards, reporters spotted graffiti on the building’s walls containing Swastika-like symbols and honoring the “Galician SS,” the Ukrainian adjunct to the German SS in World War II This tactic of torching an occupied building occurred again on May 9 in Mariupol as neo-Nazi paramilitaries organized now as the regime’s “National Guard” were dispatched to a police station that had been seized by dissidents possibly including police officers who rejected a new Kiev-appointed chief the deployment of the “National Guard” was followed by burning the building and killing a significant but still-undetermined number of people inside (Early estimates of the dead range from seven to 20.) Ukraine’s “National Guard” is usually described as a new force derived from the Maidan’s “self-defense” units that spearheaded the Feb 22 revolt in Kiev overthrowing elected President Viktor Yanukovych But the Maidan’s “self-defense” units were drawn primarily from well-organized bands of neo-Nazi extremists from western Ukraine who hurled firebombs at police and fired weapons as the anti-Yanukovych protests turned increasingly violent press in line with State Department guidance has sought to minimize or dismiss the key role played by neo-Nazis in these “self-defense” forces as well as in the new government you’ll see references to these neo-Nazis as “Ukrainian nationalists.” as resistance to Kiev’s right-wing regime expanded in the ethnic Russian east and south the coup regime found itself unable to count on regular Ukrainian troops to fire on civilians its national security chief Andriy Parubiy turned to the intensely motivated neo-Nazi shock troops who had been battle-tested during the coup These extremists were reorganized as special units of the National Guard and dispatched to the east and south to do the dirty work that the regular Ukrainian military was unwilling to do Many of these extreme Ukrainian nationalists lionize World War II Nazi collaborator Stepan Bandera and like Bandera dream of a racially pure Ukraine ethnic Russians and other “inferior” beings The slur of calling the Odessa protesters Colorado beetles — as they were being burned alive — was a reference to the black-and-red colors used by the ethnic Russian resistance in the east press either describes Parubiy simply as the interim government’s chief of national security (with no further context) or possibly as a “nationalist,” his fuller background includes his founding of the Social-National Party of Ukraine in 1991 blending radical Ukrainian nationalism with neo-Nazi symbols he became commandant of the Maidan’s “self-defense forces.” [See: Curfew for Anniversary of Odessa Massacre That Sparked Rebellion] [2014] after becoming the Kiev regime’s chief of national security and finding Ukrainian troops unwilling to fire on fellow Ukrainians in the east “Reserve unit of National Guard formed #Maidan Self-defense volunteers was sent to the front line this morning.” Those National Guard forces also were reported on the ground in Odessa when the trade unions building was torched on May 2 and they showed up again in Mariupol as the police station was burned on May 9, according to a report in The New York Times on Saturday The Times mentioned the appearance and then disappearance of the National Guard without providing any useful background about this newly organized force In the language used by the mainstream U.S the neo-Nazi brigades are “volunteers” and “self-defense” units while the rebels resisting the post-coup regime are “pro-Russian militants” or “terrorists.” The Times reported the May 9 attack in Mariupol this way: wrote on Facebook that about 60 pro-Russian militants had tried to seize the city’s police headquarters The police called for support from the Ukrainian national guard a newly formed force of quickly trained volunteers drawn from participants in last winter’s street protests in the capital Avakov wrote that 20 ‘terrorists’ had died in the fighting while those who survived dispersed and hid in a residential neighborhood.” Residents who had gathered around the police station offered an account that differed from the interior minister’s were sympathetic to the pro-Russian side and had mutinied against an out-of-town chief newly installed by the interim government in Kiev Armored vehicles had driven into the city to confront the rebellious police Holes in the brick wall suggested heavy weaponry After the deaths inside Mariupol’s police station the Kiev regime rejoiced at the extermination of a large number of “terrorists.” As the U.K.’s Independent reported “The military action is accompanied by stridently aggressive rhetoric from politicians in Kiev who are crowing about the numbers of ‘terrorists’ killed and threatening further lethal punishment.” The Kiev’s regime’s concern that some local police forces have at best mixed loyalties has led it again to turn to the Maidan “self-defense” forces to serve as a special “Kiev-1” police force which was dispatched to Odessa amid that city’s recent violence A group of Nicaraguan Contras rest after a firefight Though many Americans don’t want to believe that their government would collaborate with neo-Nazis or other extremist elements there actually has been a long history of just that In conflicts as diverse as the revolutions in Central America and the anti-Soviet Afghan war in the 1980s to the current civil conflicts in Syria and Ukraine it has not been uncommon for the side favored by the United States to rely on extremist paramilitary forces to engage in the most brutal fighting In Central American conflicts that I covered for the Associated Press and Newsweek in the 1980s some of the “death squads” associated with pro-U.S regimes were drawn from neo-fascist movements allied with the far-right World Anti-Communist League to kill Russians and their Afghan government allies many of the most aggressive fighters against Bashar al-Assad’s government are Arab jihadists recruited from across the region and armed by Saudi Arabia and other Persian Gulf oil sheikdoms government to hold its nose and rely on neo-Nazis from western Ukraine to take the fight to rebellious ethnic Russians in the east and south The key to all these unsavory alliances is for the American people not to know about the real nature of these U.S the Reagan administration advanced the concept of “public diplomacy” to intimidate journalists and human rights activists who dared report on the brutality of U.S.-backed forces in El Salvador and Guatemala and the C.I.A.-trained Contra rebels in Nicaragua most Americans weren’t sure what to make of recurring reports about right-wing “death squads” killing priests and nuns and committing other massacres across Central America to fully comprehend whom the Reagan administration had been working with in the 1980s the Obama administration has tried to maintain the fiction that the Syrian opposition is dominated by well-meaning “moderates.” it gradually has become apparent that the most effective anti-Assad fighters are the Sunni extremists allied with al-Qaeda and determined to kill Shiites it should come as no surprise that the Kiev regime would turn to its Maidan “self-defense” forces formed around neo-Nazi militias to go into southern and eastern Ukraine with the purpose of burning to death ethnic Russian “insects” occupying buildings The key is not to let the American people in on the secret [For more, see Consortium News‘ “Ukraine, Through the U.S. ‘Looking Glass.’”] The late investigative reporter Robert Parry broke many of the Iran-Contra stories for The Associated Press and Newsweek in the 1980s Almost all my liberal “Dem’ friends and acquaintances get huffy at best and rabid at worst if you point out anything that veers from their Putin=Satan/monster/psychopath brainwashing and hints at any provocation from the west for Russia’s eventual SMO I’ve been accused of being a “monster Putin”(and Trump) apologist for expressing any mitigating facts or views What is frightening is that almost to a person they’ve never heard of the Odessa fire or the fact that Zelensky was elected to implement the Minsk Accords and end the assault on the Russian speaking citizens of Ukraine Or of an alternate set of facts from the 2014 coup And deny and dismiss the Nazi presence in the country as Putin propaganda The Liberal Bourgeoisie has never been fond of myth busting truths I read a guest column in my local paper the other day that was written by what could only be described as a perfect caricature of the mindset the US is a benevolent global power that always means well and occasionally makes missteps or mistakes Trump to them is destroying our most wonderful foreign policy up until January this attitude is more prevalent than those who read independent media would care to think about They are the ones who have delivered us to our present state there you go…that what manipulated news reporting and guided opinion formation by the state run mainstream media does to the mind of the silent majority of people…kept dumb and gullible hanging on to authoritative narrative whatever information is thrown at them day by day…never mind truth:)) and they will remain in the dark about the death and destruction the US State Department and CIA have caused around the world From World’s Policeman in 1946 to World’s Mafia in 2025 is quite a transformation Δdocument.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value" This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed. Keep Consortium News going in the tradition of Bob Parry. Become a Consortium News member! Watch Consortium News Live WINNER OF THE 2017 MARTHA GELLHORN PRIZE FOR JOURNALISM Mark Rutte makes pledge after Donald Trump blames Volodymyr Zelenskyy for starting war; three hurt in ‘massive’ Russian drone attack declares ‘unwavering’ support for KyivMark Rutte makes pledge after Donald Trump blames Volodymyr Zelenskyy for starting war; three hurt in ‘massive’ Russian drone attack Nato secretary general Mark Rutte has visited the southern Ukrainian city of Odesa with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and declared “unwavering” support for Ukraine in the aftermath of a Russian attack on the northern city of Sumy that killed 35 people Rutte said the military alliance was still strongly behind Kyiv even as it also supported the ceasefire push by US president Donald Trump who has issued fresh criticism of Zelenskyy “Nato stands with Ukraine,” Rutte said at a press conference with Zelenskyy on Tuesday “You and I know that this has been true all along I also know that some have called Nato’s support into question in the last couple of months But let there be no doubt: our support is unwavering.” Rutte also said: “Russia is the aggressor There’s no doubt.” Zelenskyy said the main focus of the talks was strengthening Ukraine’s air defence “Absolutely everyone sees how urgent Ukraine’s need is for air defence systems and missiles for them,” he posted on X A “massive” Russian drone attack on Odesa overnight injured three people sparked fires and damaged homes and civilian infrastructure Ukrainian officials said early on Wednesday Mayor Hennadiy Trukhanov posted photos on Telegram depicting a residential building and other structures that had been nearly destroyed while others showed emergency workers sifting through rubble The full scale of the attack was not immediately clear There was no immediate comment from Russia Ukraine’s military said it had hit a base belonging to the Russian rocket brigade that conducted the Palm Sunday missile attack on Sumy The Ukrainian strike caused a “secondary detonation of ammunition” and the results “are being clarified” World leaders have condemned the Sumy attack and Zelenskyy called it an act of deliberate terror Ukraine moved on Tuesday to dismiss Sumy governor Volodymyr Artyukh after he made comments implying the Russian attack had targeted a military gathering Sweden said it had summoned the Russian ambassador to its foreign ministry to protest against Moscow’s attacks on Ukraine’s cities and civilian population “Russia’s responsibility to protect civilians and civilian infrastructure in accordance with international humanitarian law was emphasised to the Russian ambassador during his appearance,” the Swedish foreign ministry said on Tuesday A court in St Petersburg has jailed a woman for five years and two months for criticising the Russian army on social media allegedly after she was denounced by her neighbour was arrested in November 2023 over posts she made under a pseudonym on VKontakte Prosecutors accused her of giving information about how to avoid military mobilisation and of posting information critical of Moscow’s Ukraine offensive Aleksandrova pleaded not guilty at the trial with whom she was embroiled in a land dispute A Ukrainian drone strike on the Russian city of Kursk killed an elderly woman and wounded nine others on Tuesday Six of the injured were hospitalised for shrapnel wounds A Kyiv official alluded to the attack on social media but claimed a military target had been hit in the regional capital A Russian military court has sentenced five young people for up to 18 years in jail after finding them guilty of setting fire to railway infrastructure and a helicopter outside Moscow last year It cited state prosecutors as saying that the group – then aged 19 to 22 – had acted on the orders of people close to Ukraine’s GUR military intelligence agency GUR posted video at the time purporting to show the helicopter – which it said belonged to the Russian defence ministry – on fire but it did not claim responsibility for the attack located about 70 kilometers northwest of Donetsk remains one of the most fiercely contested sectors of the front where Russia has concentrated its main offensive efforts since March (Updated: May 6, 2025 11:41 am)Ukraine's drones target Moscow second night in a row, Russian official claims, ahead of Victory Day parade. Debris from one of the drones reportedly fell on the Kashirskoye Highway The reported attack comes just days before Russia's Victory Day parade and three-day "truce." Vice President Mike Pence said Putin "only understands power." About 800 million euros ($905 million) will be allocated for the acquisition and installation of anti-tank mines to deter potential aggression (Updated: May 6, 2025 9:36 am)War analysis France is sending Ukraine more AASM Hammer bombs — here's what they can do Polish President Andrzej Duda said the United States has tools that can effectively influence the Kremlin arguing that only President Donald Trump has real leverage over Russian President Vladimir Putin The number includes 1,430 casualties that Russian forces suffered over the past day "To the Success of Our Hopeless Cause: The Many Lives of the Soviet Dissident Movement" by Benjamin Nathans which covers dissent in the Soviet Union and Russia today Reporters Without Borders (RSF) on May 5 announced they had facilitated Russian journalist Ekaterina Barabash's escape from Russia to France after she fled house arrest on April 21 A Russian drone attack on Odesa Oblast on May 5 killed one and caused damage to local infrastructure "We appreciate that Germany plays a pivotal role in supporting Ukraine throughout the years of war Ukraine is also grateful for your personal commitment," President Volodymyr Zelensky said MPs will be able to ask questions and learn more about the details of the agreement in meetings with Economy Minister Yulia Svyrydenko May 6-7 MP Serhii Sobolev told the news outlet Suspilne The ratification vote is scheduled for May 8 Attacks against the border villages of Bilopillia and Vorozhba damaged civilian infrastructure and triggered emergency evacuations the regional military administration reported by Volodymyr IvanyshynA residential building damaged by a Russian drone attack overnight on May 1 (Oleh Kiper/Telegram)Editor's note: This is a developing story and is being updated A Russian drone attack on Odesa overnight on May 1 killed two and injured five Russia regularly strikes Ukrainian cities with missile and drone attacks as it wages its war against Ukraine. At least three were killed and 70 injured in Russian attacks on April 30 "Two people died and five others were injured as a result of the strike. Medics are providing all necessary assistance to the victims," regional Governor Oleh Kiper reported Multi-story buildings, houses, and a school were among the sites damaged in the Russian attack on Odesa "The enemy attack damaged residential high-rise buildings adding that tents have been deployed on the ground to assist in recovery efforts which our rescuers are extinguishing," Kiper added On April 28, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced a so-called "humanitarian" truce to take place beginning on May 8 in Russia's war against Ukraine to mark the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II in Europe President Volodymyr Zelensky slammed Putin's proposal for a short-lived truce and pointed to Russia's strikes on civilian targets as proof that Russia does not want to end its war against Ukraine "We value human lives, not parades. That’s why we believe — and the world believes — that there is no reason to wait until May 8," Zelensky said The Kremlin has shown signs it is unwilling to move forward on a peace deal with Ukraine. Russian authorities have listed maximalist demands in ceasefire negotiations brokered by the U.S Ukraine has already agreed to a U.S.-proposed full 30-day ceasefire, saying on March 11 that Kyiv is ready if Russia also agrees to the terms Zelensky has repeatedly called for a 30-day ceasefire Volodymyr Ivanyshyn is a news editor for The Kyiv Independent He is pursuing an Honors Bachelor of Arts at the University of Toronto majoring in political science with a minor in anthropology and human geography Volodymyr holds a Certificate in Business Fundamentals from Rotman Commerce at the University of Toronto He previously completed an internship with The Kyiv Independent The issue of loaned footballers participating in matches against the clubs to which they belong is not new in our football In anticipation of the 27th round match of the Ukrainian Championship fans are wondering whether the players loaned by the Donetsk club will be able to participate in the match as part of the “sailors” team As it became known to Sport.ua Shakhtar did not prevent their colleagues from Odesa there are seven players on loan at the Odesa club four of whom are players of the main team of the “black and blue” by Elsa Court, The Kyiv Independent news deskGreek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Odesa (Prime Minister of Greece website)Russia launched a missile at Odesa during a visit of Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis President Volodymyr Zelensky told reporters on March 6 The air raid alert sounded at around 10:40 a.m "We saw this strike today. You see who we are dealing with, they don't care where they hit," Zelensky said adding that there were dead and wounded following the strike Navy spokesperson Dmytro Pletenchuk later told Ukrainian media outlets that five people had been killed in the attack Mitsotakis said at a joint press conference with Zelensky that he was being given a tour of the port of Odesa by the president and his staff when he heard the air raid siren "I think this is one more reason why all European leaders should come to Ukraine," in order to "experience the war first hand," Mitsotakis said Greek cabinet member Stavros Papastavrou confirmed to Greek media earlier in the day that there were no injuries among the Greek delegation, but the blast occurred approximately 150 meters away, according to the Greek newspaper Kathimerini Following the meeting between Zelensky and Mitsotakis at the port, the two leaders then visited the nine-story building that was damaged in a Russian drone attack on March 2. The attack killed 12 people President Volodymyr Zelensky and Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis visit the site where a Russian drone attack killed 12 civilians Odesa has long been home to a Greek diaspora and Mitsotakis met representatives of this community during his visit "Along with Mariupol Odesa was for many centuries a vital hub of Hellenism on the shores of the Black Sea," Mitsotakis said "Odesa is a first priority area and where we want to focus Greek reconstruction programs," Mitsotakis said. Mitsotakis announced in August 2023 that Greece plans to help Odesa rebuild its historic city center Mitsotakis said he chose to visit Odesa and not Kyiv in part due to the port city's Greek links "It was here that the Society of Friends was formed," Mitsotakis said referring to a 19th-century revolutionary movement that aimed to free Greece from Ottoman occupation Mitsotakis also said that he wanted to "demonstrate the very great economic importance of Odesa as the main port of Ukrainian exports to Europe and to the world." "It is extremely important to keep this shipping channel open so that Ukraine can export its products." More than 30 million metric tonnes of agricultural products have been exported through ports in and around Odesa since August 2023, when Ukraine set up a new shipping corridor after Russia unilaterally terminated the Black Sea grain deal