Odesa added to the list of combat areas

In the Odesa region, 119 communities, including Odesa, are officially classified as a combat zone. This gives residents the right to state aid, additional social payments and benefits.

This is evidenced by Order No. 1151, signed by Deputy Prime Minister for Recovery Oleksiy Kuleba.

In Odesa Oblast, more than a hundred settlements have been officially included in the list of areas where hostilities are taking place. They include Odesa, Chornomorsk, Izmail, Zatoka, Karolino-Buhaz, Kilia, Vilkovo, Ovidiopol and Rozdilna, and the list covers 119 communities in seven districts.

All these communities receive the status of victims of armed aggression, and their residents are entitled to state aid, internal relocation, and social benefits.

The list is updated by an order of the Ministry of Reintegration in coordination with the Ministry of Defense, taking into account proposals from regional and Kyiv city military administrations. Those who have left settlements classified as areas of possible or active hostilities, as well as those temporarily occupied by Russia without a definite date of their liberation, can count on state payments.

In April 2025, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte arrived in Odesa on an official visit. On April 15, he met with President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy, which led to temporary street closures in the city. During the talks, they discussed the strengthening of Ukraine's air defense system and the situation at the front. Mark Rutte condemned Russian strikes on Ukrainian cities and emphasized the support of allies.

In March 2025, Czech President Petr Pavel visited Odesa. Over the three years of the full-scale war, the Czech Republic provided Ukraine with about $900 million in aid, ranging from humanitarian programs to military equipment. In particular, the Neptune anti-ship systems, based on Czech Tatra vehicles, have significantly strengthened Ukraine's defense at sea.

And last year, in August 2024, a delegation of American congressmen arrived in Odesa. They visited the facilities affected by Russian shelling and familiarized themselves with the work of Odesa ports under martial law. American politicians saw the extent of the destruction with their own eyes and discussed with local authorities possible ways of international assistance in the region's recovery.

Анна Бальчінос