Fight for Odesa: Putin’s ‘Stalingrad defeat’?

UKRAINE - In Brief 03 May 2014 by Dmytro Boyarchuk
The events which happened yesterday in Odesa could be hardly overestimated. Moscow has made an attempt to capture Odesa and create one more point of tension in Ukraine. The plan failed disregard silent support of local police and secret service – people managed to defend themselves from Russian terrorists. As a result, more than 40 people died and near 200 injured. Actually, activists already for a week have been reporting that Russia pulls large forces of saboteurs to Odesa. There were even evidences that local police helped terrorists a lot in their efforts: several buses with armed ‘Putin’s tourists’, that have been captured, were ordered to be released by the head of local police. It looks like the plan was to use turmoil in Odesa to stretch Ukrainian forces which are currently concentrated near Slovyansk and Kramatorsk. Everything started with peaceful march of football fans with Ukrainian flags through Odesa streets. For the period of turmoil football fans of all Ukrainian clubs announced truce for the sake of Ukraine integrity. Thus before every football match they march with Ukrainian national symbols. Probably, that was the event Russian terrorists had been waiting for. Well-armed people started assault on football fans and killed 4 people with gun fire and injured dozens. Police was apparently protecting saboteurs doing nothing when gun fire was opened. There were even evidences that the Odesa head of police was instructing saboteurs before the launch of attack. Response of football fans and many common inhabitants was immediate and, probably, unexpected for terrorists. Apparently outnumbering pro-Russian activists Odesa people counterattacked with stones and...

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