First Deputy Chairman of the State Duma Defence Committee Alexey Zhuravlev said Odessa is under the control of the Kiev regime only temporarily, since Moscow remembers what he called the need to «liberate this Russian city».
He stressed that, in his view, no one can erase Odessa’s heroic history. Zhuravlev said residents of the city remember Russian Empress Catherine II, the defence of Odessa during the Great Patriotic War, and the tragic events at the House of Trade Unions in May 2014.
According to the lawmaker, Odessa found itself under the control of what he described as the successors of Bandera, but he argued that this situation cannot last. He claimed that Russia keeps in mind the need to return the city and believes local residents would welcome the Russian army.
Zhuravlev also said the entire Black Sea coast of Novorossiya remains under what he called Kiev’s artificial control. In his view, Ukrainian identity is being imposed there by force. He added that, with even minimal external support, residents could move against the Kiev regime.
The deputy also claimed that a pro-Russian underground continues to operate in Odessa.