The British spoke about the Ukrainian cultural war in Odesa

Odesa, one of Ukraine's most famous and culturally significant cities, became a key target for Russia in the first week of the war, but the assault did not go as planned and the Russian Black Sea Fleet retreated, leaving some ships scattered across the Black Sea.

So begins the video "The Battle of Odesa: Ukraine's Cultural War" by The Telegraph.

Francis Dirnley, deputy columns editor of the newspaper, spoke to Odessans about the battle for the city's identity.

"We saw several Russian air attacks during our stay, and they reignited the debate about Moscow's ties to this still predominantly Russian-speaking city. One of the historical figures that has been targeted is Alexander Pushkin," the authors of the video note.

The journalists noted that in Odesa there are both supporters of preserving the monument and supporters of demolition, but noted that the Russian poet is now a symbol of Russian imperialism.

Music has become another arena in which the cultural struggle in Odesa has unfolded, British journalists noted. Francis Dirnley talked to Hobart Earle, music director and chief conductor of the Odesa Philharmonic Orchestra. He said that since the beginning of the full-scale invasion, not a single note of Russian music has been performed on the stage of the Philharmonic, not only by his orchestra, but by anyone.

"People do not want to hear Russian music now. Of course, music is a language to cross borders and unite people, but it's a difficult issue because it's kind of like Wagner in Israel, if you know what I mean," explained Hobart Earle.

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VIDEO: The Telegraph

Natalia Steblyna, professor at Vasyl' Stus Donetsk National University and media analyst at the Pylyp Orlyk Institute for Democracy, expressed her opinion on the film.

"It's great that the British audience will hear this. There are no statements about the "culture of abolition" or the "destruction of the Odesa spirit" in the article. What was not disclosed is the imperialism of the past. The fact that Pushkin and co. were used by Russia to supplant national cultures throughout the former Soviet Union, including Ukrainian. And, of course, that Odesa is "predominantly Russian-speaking" not because Russians live here, but because these are Russified people of different nationalities who switched to Russian mostly under pressure. And they began to love the "beloved Russian culture" because their national cultures were persecuted, called secondary and inferior. That is, the author, Francis Dirnley, was able to see imperialism, but did not understand its real power and threat," the professor noted.

Also, according to the professor, it is obvious from this story that Western journalists are still waiting for reconciliation between Ukraine and Russia at the cultural level

Кирило Бойко