Russian-Ukraine war: Odesa becomes military fortress so it doesn't fall to Russian forces

While Russian forces have struggled to make rapid headway in their efforts to topple the capital, they have made greater inroads in the south.

Advancing from the annexed Russian-held region of Crimea, troops have surrounded the battered city of Mariupol and captured Melitopol and Kherson.

Odesa has been transformed into a military fortress as Ukrainian forces hope to protect the country's largest port. Europe Correspondent Lisette Reymer reports from the historic city, where everyday buildings like food courts, shops and even gentlemen's clubs have become integral to survival.

The next stop along the coast is Odesa, a major strategic prize for Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Even the historic beauty of Odesa can't distract from the brutal realities of war that are taking over the city.

It is now a fortress with tanks and tank traps, huts and hideouts, and sand-bagged barricades. The walls of protection provide a maze of defence against any enemy - but there is only one they're waiting on.

"This is a roulette, you know, I think [Russian troops] are here and if they will come here, I think this will be a mistake," says Daniel Salem from the Ukraine National Guard.

Soldiers control access at every corner and their eyes are constantly scanning on high alert.

"It's an obligation of every man to be here," Salem says.

Because the fight they face will be fuelled by a passion unlike anything this war has seen so far.

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During World War II, Odesa fought so hard that the Kremlin honoured it with the title "hero city".

Considered the pearl of the Black Sea, it is synonymous with power and prestige, but the cultural allure of this city for both sides is superseded by its strategic value.

Russian-Ukraine war: Odesa becomes military fortress so it doesn't fall to Russian forces — Photo credit: Newshub.

All of this is to block the path to the country's biggest port, because if Odesa falls, Ukraine will be landlocked.

"We know what we are fighting for, we are fighting for our land, we are fighting for our people. They're fighting for, I don't know, they don't even know what they're fighting to," Salem says.

Founded by Russian empress Catherine the Great, her statue stands exposed while her Ukrainian peers have been prepared for the shellings they soon expect. Odesa is protecting the history it is most proud of.

In normal times, the streets would be bustling. They're lined with cafes, restaurants, bars, shops, and clubs - but these are war times and the only people walking the main street at the moment are carrying weapons, not shopping bags.

A midday launch of missiles sent flying across the country triggers a now all too familiar sound. There are often multiple alarms a day and going into a bomb shelter is the way to keep safe - and half an hour later you reemerge.

One Ukrainian says life has changed dramatically over the past three weeks.

"Everyone has dreams, plans, we have normal life and then in one day, everything was broken," says Inga Kordynovska.

One popular food hall is now a relief centre and there are signs of the pre-war world everywhere. One poster says "Odesa is Ukraine", and under it is a poster for an oyster and jazz festival that should have been taking place this weekend.

Party supplies have been replaced by war supplies. Volunteers frantically package the basic needs for survival in a space usually reserved for the extravagant trimmings of a good life.

Trendy eateries have their lights off as an economic crisis unfolds in the shadow of the overwhelming humanitarian one.

"We are all under great risk, we work here under bomb attack and we don't know what happens in next day, minutes, hours," Kordynovska says.

But when the time does come, they do know that the hero city will stand victorious.