Czech President Petr Pavel Visits Odesa Amid Ongoing Russian Attacks

President of the Czech Republic Petr Pavel arrived in Odesa yesterday on an official visit.

This was announced by Oleksiy Kuleba, Minister of Communities and Territories Development of Ukraine.

"We met in the city of Odesa, which is terrorized by Russia every night. It was during our meeting that Russia launched three groups of shaheds on the city. The entire civilized world should see Russia's crimes against Ukraine," Kuleba said.

The Ukrainian and Czech delegations discussed key issues of navigation safety, restoration of Ukraine and community development. The Czech Republic is one of the leaders among the countries that systematically help Ukraine. Over the three years of the great war, the partner country has provided Ukraine with $900 million in support, ranging from humanitarian programs to military equipment. In particular,the Neptune anti-ship systems, based on Czech Tatra vehicles, have made a great contribution to Ukraine's security at sea.

The conversation also focused on maritime security and the challenges of demining. Since the summer of 2023 alone, Russia has fired more than 450 missiles at Ukraine's port infrastructure. Since the start of the Ukrainian corridor, Odesa region ports have transported 110 million tons of cargo.

The parties also agreed to expand humanitarian assistance to the affected regions, including providing temporary housing for those who lost their homes and support for medical facilities.

Earlier, a UNESCO and ICOMOS mission paid an official visit to Odesa. The purpose of this visit was to assess the condition of the World Heritage Site and check the implementation of previous recommendations. The mission lasted several days, during which the factors affecting the preservation, protection and management of this unique cultural site were discussed.

Сергій Лозовський