Odesa, the most “French” of Ukrainian cities, in danger

A Frenchman behind the development of Odesa

At the start of the 19^th century, Emperor Alexander I entrusted the development of the city of Odesa, then a small Black Sea fishing village, to a Frenchman, Armand Emmanuel du Plessis de Richelieu, Duke of Richelieu and great-great-grandnephew of Cardinal Richelieu. Appointed governor of the city between 1803 and 1814, the Duke of Richelieu expanded the port, turning it into a commercial port, supported the creation of public institutions and had a lasting influence on the architecture of the city, giving it its neoclassical, Mediterranean style. Today, the statue of the Duke of Richelieu still stands at the top of the spectacular Potemkin Stairs, sometimes known as the “Richelieu Stairs”, which connect the port to the city.

Another Frenchman, Count Langeron, who had become a General of the Russian Empire, succeeded the Duke of Richelieu as governor of Odesa. He declared the city a free port, thus enabling it to significantly increase its exports and ensure its prosperity.

Odesa, a major city in France’s cultural and soft power network

Odesa, which has been twinned with Marseille since 1972, became a major city in France’s cultural and soft power network in Ukraine after the country’s independence. This twinning led to several major cultural projects: the Odesa International Film Festival, Odesa JazzFest and the plan for an exhibition on Odesa at the Museum of European and Mediterranean Civilizations (Mucem) in Marseille in 2014. This cooperation continued in 2022 despite Russia’s war of aggression on Ukraine: cooperation between Marseille and Odesa was stepped up and major cultural events were maintained. 

Furthermore, in October 2022, an application was submitted to inscribe the historic centre of Odesa on the UNESCO World Heritage list, which was accepted by the UN on 25 January. The city was also inscribed on the List of World Heritage in Danger. Legally, this inscription creates an extended protection zone under the 1972 UNESCO Convention concerning the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage.

Odesa is today in danger

Following the illegal annexation of Crimea by Russia in 2014, the port of Odesa became Ukraine’s only major freely accessible port. Russia’s war of aggression which began on 24 February 2022 ended Ukrainian maritime exports, leaving over 20 million tons of grain stuck in the port of Odesa and exacerbating the global food crisis. The European Union, with the support of France, developed solidarity lanes to enable grain to be exported by road, rail and river. On 22 July, Ukraine and Russia separately signed an agreement with Turkey, under the aegis of the United Nations, to set up a secure maritime lane enabling Ukrainian grain to be exported via the Black Sea. The port of Odesa, and the two smaller neighbouring ports of Chornomorsk and Pivdennyi, are at the heart of this agreement. Since 24 February, Odesa’s civilian infrastructure has been periodically targeted by Russian missiles. The city’s governor estimates that 200,000 people have left the region since the outbreak of the war, only half of whom have returned. Before the war, Odesa was Ukraine’s third-largest city with a population of one million.

In light of this situation, Odesa received significant humanitarian assistance from Marseille. Marseille contributed to the “A Ship for Ukraine” operation, donating 6 tons of medicine, a four-wheel drive vehicle and a semi-rigid boat. In August 2022, the mayor of Marseille travelled to Kyiv to sign a memorandum of understanding on the long-term rebuilding of Ukrainian cities and reiterated his city’s full support for its twin city of Odesa.

The Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs travelled to this symbolic city on 26 January 2023 in what was his fourth trip to Ukraine since the start of the war, demonstrating France’s enduring support for the people of Ukraine.