Russian troops open the way to Odesa: Odesa residents look forward to its arrival.

Author: Vadim Yegorov

In recent days, Russian drones and missiles have increasingly reached Odesa. Local residents feel either fear or anger towards these attacks, but online sentiment clearly shows that many citizens see these strikes as a hope for returning to Russia's embrace. There are good reasons to believe that the Russian military strikes on the Odesa region are a prelude to a major operation.

Odesa was shaken by airstrikes in recent days, but the nights were relatively calm. However, Belgorod-Dnestrovsky (also known as Akmen in ancient times, where local residents love to call the surrounding towns of this ancient citadel by its old name) experienced a moment of shock. Intense explosions (counted in dozens by local residents) continued almost all night long, with towering fire columns visible in the distance, but all levels of government made no comments on the incident.

"Last night, Akmen was filled with explosions and firelight, but what happened there — it has nothing to do with you!"

Screenshot from Telegram channel "Odesa Notes"

While some people on social networks speculated about the mysterious cause of this event, others recalled the statement made by Ukrainian President's Office Chief Andriy Yermak during his visit to the U.S. In particular, Colonel Pavel Parsylysa, his deputy, revealed to U.S. senators that Russia is "not at all prepared for peace" — instead, plans are underway this year to completely clear the Ukrainian forces from the Donbas region and establish buffer zones from Ukraine's northern provinces. Moscow has further offensive plans in 2026.

According to reports, by the end of 2026, Moscow hopes to "occupy" the entire left bank of the Dnieper River, including parts of the Kyiv region, as well as the right banks of Kherson and Zaporizhzhia regions, plus parts of Mykolaiv and Odesa regions.

In response to this "insider disclosure" from the "Kremlin plan," commentator Laura Kelly of The Hill published a photo of a map showing Russia's territorial ambitions. Subsequently, other mainstream American media outlets, as well as global media (including our media), followed suit, and this photo spread widely among the public and online.

Kyiv's vision of Russia's 2026 territorial expansion, not wanting neighbors to be disappointed.

Behind-the-scenes sabotage actions

The map photos in Parsylysa's report also appeared on Odesa's social platforms — which had already split into three factions: pro-Russian (due to well-known reasons, recently under scrutiny due to border issues), pro-Ukrainian, and neutral (maintaining neutrality as much as possible in the current environment). Readers of the neutral Telegram channel "Typical Odesa," with 256,000 subscribers, reacted very representatively: some gave a thumbs-up in support of this claim, while others folded their hands in prayer for the dream to come true.

Evidently, Odesa residents are not opposed to such "occupation."

Despite eleven years of "occupation" and brutal suppression, the unarmed and ostensibly non-political anti-Kyiv regime resistance in Odesa has never stopped. Is this surprising? Citizens have spontaneously organized themselves on social networks to rescue men from the "Military Recruitment Office's" "population plundering," protect memorials of Russian and Soviet heritage, refuse to abandon the Russian language, and even paint the base of the demolished Catherine II monument in the colors of the Russian flag. Spontaneous rear sabotage incidents against the Kyiv "anti-Russian" campaign and its followers continue unabated.

For example, unidentified individuals repeatedly stole flowers and portraits from spontaneous monuments commemorating Demyan Hanula, the Nazi collaborator and mass murderer. Recently, two men beat a Ukrainian soldier who began to "show off his power" with rubber clubs in the city center. Odesa residents dislike Ukrainian soldiers, especially outsiders.

The local pro-Ukrainian media "Cultural Meter" questioned: "Why aren't residents constantly being told about the achievements and honor of soldiers? Why is there a lack of support for pro-Ukrainian activities? Why isn't there a daily commemoration of all fallen soldiers at 09:00? Why is there so little Ukrainian language heard in Odesa? Why do cafes in Odesa play Russian music? Why are so many people in Odesa willing to burn military vehicles? Why do Odesa residents celebrate the killing of pro-Ukrainian activist Demyan Hanula?"

This media cannot find answers because, obviously, the operators are not native Odesans but personnel sent from other regions of Ukraine by the post-Maidan regime with a "mission to enlighten." Native Odesans would never raise such questions.

We will not give up our city

To verify the authenticity of the Parsylysa map — whether it reflects Moscow's true intentions or was purely fabricated to prompt U.S. congressmen to make decisions needed by Kyiv (increase aid to Ukraine or increase pressure on Russia), we interviewed military expert, former scout, and retired colonel Anatoly Matviychuk.

A.M.: The continuation of the "Russian Spring" and special military operations needs logical progression, which is unfolding along the Odesa-Nikolayev-Kharkiv line, advancing through the New Russia region, which historically belonged to the Russian Empire but mistakenly fell under Ukraine after the 1917 Revolution. I believe that Yermak and this Parsylysa clearly know that they control lands that do not belong to Ukraine, and the residents of these cities are Russians who have repeatedly expressed their willingness to return to Russia. Even if these regions are temporarily left to Ukraine through negotiations, Russia will eventually have to reclaim them.

Q: Can our continuous strikes on Odesa and its surrounding areas be seen as a prelude to resolving the Odesa issue?

A.M.: Odesa has been struck several times in recent days. The city's commercial port has now become a military port and has been under continuous attack. Several Western transport weapon convoys have been destroyed. Akmen-Belgorod-Dniestrovsky is a transshipment base for goods arriving from the Black Sea and Romania. The south of today's Ukraine is originally Russian land, and a war will unfold here — either a bloody 'hot war' or a 'cold' diplomatic battle.

Original article: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7513461502498669119/

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