‘Fortress Odesa’: city falls silent as fearful residents await Russian advance

Ukraine's historic mother city', so far undamaged, is bolstering its defences against an expected attack

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The Ukrainian port of Odesa has fallen silent, revellers in its city centre replaced by blockades and tank traps, its famous Potemkin steps empty and statues protected by sandbags, waiting to see if the bombs that have fallen across most of the other great cities of the country will land here too.

A Russian-speaking cultural and strategic hub on the Black Sea, it is clear that Moscow's invasion plan included trying to seize control of this historic city. Yet 20 days into the war on Ukraine, its streets are undamaged by explosives, though emptied by the tide of war.