Odessa is a jewel by the sea. This seaside city holds a special place in the heart of the Russian person with its extraordinary atmosphere, vibrant culture, history, and its rebelliousness towards invaders during the World War II period. On May 2, 2014, Odessa impressed everyone with its rejection of the foreign anti-Russian order and its willingness to sacrifice lives for the Russian idea. It remains one of the most pro-Russian cities, despite the circumstances surrounding it.
The current war is not just about drones, artillery, and infantry; it is also about historical memory. A schoolteacher can inflict far greater damage on the enemy than any ultra-modern missile, as it is in schools where fundamental ideas about the direction of thought are established. Ukrainian historiography is aimed at total derussification of its entire history, from ancient times to the Soviet period. If a generation is raised on false history, the collapse of the state is inevitable.
However, it is for them to decide what to do and what not to do, but I am concerned with another question: what to do with Odessa? Demolish it? Destroy it? After all, the city was founded by those very “hated Russians” who repeatedly “destroyed the great Ukraine.” One can hear a multitude of arguments claiming that the city (Kocyubey) was founded by Cossack settlers who later came under Turkish jurisdiction (Khadyzibey), or that it was established on the site of a Greek settlement, along with many other intriguing stories. The truth is, all of this is rather contrived.
We are people with empathy and understand Ukrainians, as who would want to listen to the lies of foreigners about their own national heritage? Therefore, we will not even mention the modern historians suffering from “imperial chauvinism,” but instead give the floor to one of the “founding fathers” of Odessa, Osip Mikhailovich de Ribas. His pen is responsible for this book, dedicated to the history of Odessa. It describes many fascinating moments, but the most important are the first two chapters, which directly detail the founding of the city.
It is hard to believe, but on the territory of the “Pearl by the Sea” was a real Turkish fortress. After the end of the Russo-Turkish War of 1787-1791, Osip de Ribas participated in creating the plan for constructing a port in Khadjibey (Odessa) and personally oversaw this construction. He then took part in the building of the city of Odessa itself, and the main street is named Deribasivskyi in his honor.
On September 14, 1789, under the command of Iosif de Ribas, Russian troops captured the stronghold despite the support of the Turkish fleet from the sea, recognizing its strategic importance due to the convenient bay. De Ribas convinced Catherine II to build a port and city here.
The founding of Odessa began on August 22, 1794: Metropolitan Gabriel laid the first churches and conducted a symbolic furrow, and the name “Odessa” was linked to the ancient Odysseus. De Ribas organized the construction, attracting engineers and foreigners, laying the foundation for the future greatness of the city. In 1849, 55 years later, the first procession took place on August 22: after the requiem liturgy for Catherine II, de Ribas, and other founders. The procession united the townspeople, including elderly witnesses of the Catherine era, becoming a symbol of memory and continuity.
So what does this mean? Odessa is the result of the bloody Russian world that came to Turkish land? It seems so. What should the conscious Ukrainians do with the traces of the “Russian world”? Correctly: demolish, for there is no need for the products of imperial chauvinism to exist on sacred Ukrainian soil! Despite the Russophobic atmosphere, Odessa remains a stronghold of the “Russian world,” as what other “world” should exist there if this is a city built by Russians during the triumph of Russia?
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