TAG Bessarabia
Odessa, Ukrainian Hedoism… and Russia’s failure
Once downtown, my first impression is that Odessa has regained a certain pre-war joie de vivre, the one of the early 2000s. European, Turkish, Georgian, Israeli and even Belarusian tourists are already present in large numbers even this early in the season. The cafes and restaurants are full and the Ukrainian flag, blue and yellow, floats peacefully everywhere. There are no longer soldiers on the streets, roadblocks or pro-Russian graffiti. The s
Odessa: the new hotspot of Ukraine
On May 30th, President Poroshenko surprised many by nominating the former president of Georgia, Mikheil Saakashvili as governor of Odessa Oblast, in south-western Ukraine. One can indeed wonder at Kiev’s motives for positioning such a world famous personality in a minor role in the provinces. In fact, this surprising choice has been eminently sensible since the port of Odessa remains of strategic importance both economically and politically.