Odesa is a romantic roguish city. Its history, architecture and cosmopolitan vibe combine to make it quite the prize in this war, reports Senior International Correspondent John Irvine.
Add the fact that Odesa is Ukraine’s biggest port, and that its fall would leave this country landlocked, and you can see just how high the stakes are here.
The Russian Army units that came out of Crimea and turned west towards Odesa have been the most successful of the war. It was they who took Kherson, the first and only city to have fallen so far. Next in their firing line was Mykolaiv, where the Ukrainians are putting up stubborn resistance.
Some Western analysts think the Russians may be preparing to circumvent Mykolaiv so keen are they to push on and attack Odesa.
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