Odessa is ready to fight, says former marine reporting in Ukraine

The "resilience is still there" in the people of Odessa who are "ready to fight", according to a former Royal Marine Commando.

Emile Ghessen, a filmmaker and former Royal Marine Commando, has just returned from the Ukrainian city. 

He has been speaking to Forces News about the situation there, amid fears the strategic port city in the South it will become the next big Russian target.  

• Ukraine: Where is Odessa and why is it important to Russia?
• Ukraine: What is the NASAMS air defence system?
• Invasion of Ukraine may ultimately cost Russia access to Baltic Sea

"Odessa is a unique city in the sense that the people are very resilient there," the former marine said.

"They know there is a potential threat of the Russians coming there, but they know the Russians are taking the city to the east, which is called Mykolaiv. 

"At the moment the Russians are fighting there, they are struggling to get a grip of Mykolaiv," he added.

"They need Mykolaiv in order to take Odessa, because Odessa is on the port to do an amphibious assault and do an airborne assault which they failed with the airborne assault in Kyiv earlier on in the war. 

"They know they need to take Mykolaiv to move troops up, the tanks and the artillery to support the landing forces coming in."

He added: "So I think really, at the moment, people are just waiting to see if it does materialise, as I say the people of Odessa their resilience is still there.

"They are ready to fight and, are sat there waiting to see if it happens."

Cover image: Aerial view of Odessa, Ukraine (Picture: Oleksandr Perepelytsia/Alamy Stock Photo).