Odesa was left without the year of its foundation and a monument to Gorky, and the sea was turning red

Shelling of the week

From Sunday, September 8, to Saturday, September 14, Russians attacked Odesa region almost every day with drones or missiles.

On the night of September 8,a group of Russian Shahed attack drones violated Romanian airspace, which led to warnings to residents of Tulcea and Constanta counties about the risk of objects falling from the airspace. The city of Vilkovo in Odesa region was attacked by Russian unmanned aerial vehicles the same night. Later, the Air Force Command reported that on the night of September 8, the occupiers struck with four X-59 guided missiles and 23 Shahed-type attack UAVs.

On the night of September 10, ZmiinyiIsland in Odesa region was targeted by a missile attack from Russian aircraft. A Russian aircraft fired an X-31 missile at the island. The military did not report whether the missile hit its target, but noted that the air defense of southern Ukraine shot down five Shahed-136/131 attack drones during the night. On the night of September 11, Zmiinyi Island, located in Odesa region, was attacked again by tactical aircraft, firing six X-31P anti-radar missiles, and on the night of September 12, two cruise missiles. In another attack, the Russian military struck a civilian ship in the Black Sea that was transporting wheat to Egypt.

On the night of September 13, Odesa and its suburbs were again under attack by the Russians. The enemy used attack drones. On September 14, drone debris damaged buildings in the suburbs of Odesa and Izmail district.

Reddened sea

Off the Odesa coast this week , vacationers noticed a change in the color of the sea water.

During the day it is red and pink, and at night it glows. Ecologist Vladislav Balinsky explained that this phenomenon is called the "red tide". It is caused by the rapid growth of unicellular dinoflagellate algae, among which the Lingylodinium polyedra species predominates. According to the ecologist, these algae contain toxins that not only cause bioluminescence (i.e., the glow of water), but can also cause allergies when swimming and poisoning when eating seafood. Balinsky called pollution and desalination of seawater the cause of the massive growth of algae. However, the phenomenon was not observed everywhere.

Odesa without a year of birth

A public discussion of the draft new version of the Statute of the territorial community of Odesa took place on September 10.

It was held via an online conference. As a result of the discussion, the participants adopted some changes, while historical issues, such as the age of the city, remained unresolved. The head of the Southern Interregional Branch of the Ukrainian Institute of National Memory, Serhiy Hutsalyuk, emphasized that the new version of the charter removed the reference to the foundation of Odesa in 1794, but the authors were undecided about the other year of foundation. So the statement that the City Day is celebrated on September 2 remains. In general, Serhiy Hutsalyuk characterized the new version of the charter as half-hearted. Instead, the mayor's office promised that the working group on the development of a new city charter would consider the suggestions and comments of the participants in the discussion.

The start of the development of a new city charter was announced in September 2022. At that time, the working group on the development of the new Odesa City Charter was given a month to draft a new document, which was later planned to be submitted for public discussion.

The current Charter has not been amended for more than 10 years, so it now needs to be revised and amended, primarily due to changes in the legislation of Ukraine.

Scandal with food for military personnel in Odesa psychiatric hospital ends

Soldier Petro Konoplya, who complained about the conditions of his stay in the Regional Psychiatric Hospital No. 2 in Odesa and went on a hunger strike, was discharged from the facility.

After the publicity and the visit of the head of the Odesa Regional Military Administration, Oleh Kiper, the hospital, according to Konoplya, began to "come to life" - there were noticeable changes in the work of the institution that occur daily. On August 21, Petro Konoplya showed inadequate conditions in the Odesa psychiatric hospital where military personnel are treated. He complained about poor quality food and mold on the walls of the wards. The man went on a hunger strike. After that, the hospital began an inspection.

Fighting with the military of the TCC

The past week was not without incidents involving employees of territorial recruitment and social support centers.

On September 7, the Odesa Regional Territorial Center for Recruitment and Social Support commented on a video showing a soldier trying to hit a woman. The military stated that the conflict was provoked by a woman who, in an emotional state, committed actions aimed at obstructing the work of the center. The driver of the car she attacked tried to hit her. On September 11, a conflict between a local resident and representatives of the CCC occurred on Yadova Street in Odesa. Law enforcement officers arrived and drew up administrative reports for disorderly conduct and malicious disobedience to police.

Gorky and the Order of Lenin are gone

On September 13, a monument to Russian writer Maxim Gorky was dismantled in Odesa's Mark Twain Park (formerly Gorky Park).

In March 2023, the historical and toponymic commission recommended that the city council move the monument to Maxim Gorky when the park did not yet have a new name, but despite the fact that the park had already been renamed, the monument has not been touched.

Earlier, activists Demian Hanul and Vladyslav Balynskyi demolished a bas-relief depicting the Hero of the Soviet Union star and the Order of Lenin on the night of September 6-7. The Soviet symbols were located on the ceiling of the "Wing of Heroes" dedicated to the liberation of Odesa from Romanian-German troops in 1944.