Demonstrative murder of Odesa activist against the backdrop of aerial terror

Odesa was shaken by a high-profile murder - an unknown gunman shot and killed activist Demian Hanul in the city center in broad daylight. The Minister of Internal Affairs said he would take the investigation under his personal control. The enemy continued to terrorize Odesa from the air, utilities launched the city's first cogeneration plant, and the Philharmonic hosted a classical music concert with an Armed Forces officer at the conductor's desk. These and other events are in Intent's digest.

A high-profile murder in the city center

Photo: Intent/Natalia Dovbysh

On March 14, at about 10:30 a.m., the special line 102 received a report that an unknown man had shot a passerby in the Primorsky district of the city.
During a meeting of the Verkhovna Rada, Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko said that Odesa activist Demian Hanul had been killed.
Very quickly, a video of the moment of the murder appeared on social media, where an unknown person made a control shot at the activist's head.
Earlier, Ganul had already reported that people posing as military personnel had tried to kill him.
The Minister of Internal Affairs stated that he would take the investigation into the murder of Demian Hanul under his personal control.
Around 4 p.m., the man suspected of killing the activist was detained. A weapon allegedly used in the crime was found in the apartment where he was hiding.
MP Oleksiy Honcharenko said: "The main version of Demyan's murder is political, ordered or even carried out by Russia to intimidate pro-Ukrainian activists."
Blogger Igor Lachenkov wrote: "Back in July, the Odesa activist asked the SBU to provide him with protection because he began receiving threats. Moreover, Russian resources have leaked personal information about his family and set a reward of up to $10,000 for an attack on him."

Terror from the air continues

Photo: Odesa Regional Prosecutor's Office

The air attack on Odesa by Russian troops on the night of March 11 ended with the burning of a children's toy warehouse, a residential building, and a fuel tank. The fire covered an area of 2,780 square meters.
On the same day, Odesa Municipality issued a recommendation to the citizens to avoid being outside for some time due to the significant air pollution caused by the fire.
A ballistic missile fired by the Russians at Odesa on the evening of March 11 damaged the Barbados-flagged MJ Pina and killed four Syrian citizens. The youngest victim was 18, the oldest was 24. Two more people were injured - a Ukrainian and a Syrian.
On the night of March 13, Russian occupiers attacked Odesa region with kamikaze drones from the Black Sea. As a result of the attack, a private garage in Odesa district caught fire.

The resonant decision of the ECHR

Photo: Intent/Nata Chernetska

The European Court of Human Rights has ruled on the events of May 2, 2014 in Odesa, recognizing Ukraine's responsibility for the actions of state bodies that led to the deaths of people.
At the same time, the Court noted that the root cause of the tragedy was Russian propaganda and destabilization of the situation in the country.

A municipal breakthrough

Screenshot from the city hall video

On March 13, it became known that the first cogeneration unit was connected in Odesa, which is already providing power to one of the city's boiler houses.
This is a special equipment that simultaneously produces heat and electricity. In case of blackouts, the city residents will be provided with heat.
This unit is capable of generating 3.3 MW of electricity per hour, while the boiler house needs only half of this capacity.
Work is underway to connect three more cogeneration units that have already been delivered to the city. In total, 9 units with a total capacity of 30 MW will be manufactured for Odesa under the UNDP project.
In addition, Odesa received 7 cogeneration units from the German agency GIZ. All of them will be placed at neighborhood boiler houses. Two units are already in the process of being connected, and components are expected for the remaining five.

Saakashvili's jail term was imposed in Georgia

Photo: RBC-Ukraine

Former Georgian President and former head of the Odesa Regional State Administration Mikheil Saakashvili was sentenced to another nine years in prison in his home country for embezzlement of budget funds.
In May 2020, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy appointed former head of the Odesa Regional State Administration Mikheil Saakashvili as chairman of the executive committee of the National Reform Council.
At the time, Georgian Ambassador to Ukraine Teimuraz Sharashenidze had previously stated that his country was likely to perceive the appointment of the former head of the Odesa Regional State Administration Mikheil Saakashvili as Deputy Prime Minister of Ukraine as an unfriendly and unacceptable step in terms of strategic partnership. Saakashvili did not become deputy prime minister.
On October 1, 2021, Mikheil Saakashvili was detained by Georgian law enforcement. At the time, he was on the wanted list.
The former president is currently serving a six-year sentence. He was convicted in the cases of pardoning four high-ranking officers of the Constitutional Security Department of the Georgian Interior Ministry - Gia Alania, Avtandil Aptsiauri, Alexander Gachava and Mikheil Bibiluridze- who were convicted as defendants in the murder of bank employee Sandro Girgvliani.

A stormtrooper conductor in Odesa