Меню
Соціальні мережі
Розділи
May 2, 2026, 11:19 a.m.
Hutsalyuk: May 2 tragedy in Odesa stopped the "Russian Spring" in the South of Ukraine
This article also available in English319
The events of May 2, 2014, in Odesa were a turning point that effectively put an end to attempts to implement the "Russian Spring" scenario in southern Ukraine.
It was a day of fierce clashes that ended in tragedy, but at the same time kept the city part of Ukraine, said historian, activist, and soldier Serhiy Hutsalyuk.
Here's how Serhiy Hutsalyuk recalls how the events unfolded
On that day, a football match was scheduled in Odesa between the local Chornomorets and Kharkiv's Metalist. In the afternoon, about two thousand people - football ultras of both clubs, activists of the local Euromaidan and ordinary Odessans - gathered on Soborna Square for a joint march for the unity of Ukraine.
The clashes were provoked by representatives of the Anti-Maidan (whose camp was located on Kulykove Pole). Armed with sticks, shields, and later firearms, they attacked the peaceful march near Hretska Street.
The first victim was Euromaidan activist Ihor Ivanov, who died of a gunshot wound. Soon after, another Ukraine-centered activist, Andriy Biryukov, was killed. The news of the first deaths instantly radicalized the crowd.
Street fighting in the area of Hretska Square lasted for several hours. Despite the passivity (and sometimes assistance) of the police at the time, pro-Ukrainian forces managed to push back the Anti-Maidan militants. The decisive role was played by the numerical superiority of Odesa residents who came out to defend their city and the organization of football fans.
After the defeat in the city center, the Anti-Maidan activists retreated to their camp on Kulykove Pole. A large convoy of pro-Ukrainian forces moved in to finally eliminate the center of separatism. Anti-Maidan representatives barricaded themselves in the Trade Union Building. Both sides used Molotov cocktails, which led to a fire inside the building. As a result of the fire and clashes that day, 48 people died (6 in the city center from gunshot wounds, 42 during the fire in the Trade Union Building).
Why does the activist think this stopped the "Russian Spring"?
Loss of mobilization resources: The power bloc of pro-Russian forces in Odesa was completely defeated. Many Anti-Maidan leaders and activists fled to the occupied Crimea or Donbas.
The events showed that Odesa was not the Donetsk or Luhansk of that time. A large number of citizens were ready for direct action to prevent the creation of the "Odesa People's Republic".
The Russian curators counted on the weakness of the local authorities and the support of a part of the population, but active resistance broke the plan of a bloodless transition of the region under Russian control.
May 2 was a victorious day because it determined the fate of Odesa in geopolitical terms. The city remained the southern outpost of Ukraine, which prevented Russia from implementing its plans to capture the South and cut Ukraine off from the Black Sea.
