By: Andrew Xiao

On June 17th, 115 days after this Ukrainian establishment closed, the Odesa Opera

House – within a city of immense culture – defied the standard for a country defending against

war. They reopened with the harmonious playing and singing of the country’s national anthem.

For some, this program represents their fearlessness against Putin’s savagery, but for

others, this defends and recontinues Odesa’s typical but dynamic way of life. As Gennadiy

Trukhanov, the mayor reflects in a New York Times interview, “It is important to show that

Odesa is alive, that Ukraine is alive, that we want to live and create, while the way of the

Russian occupiers is killing and death.”

Remarkably, while Odesa experiences relative tranquility, just 70 miles to the east in the

city of Mykolaiv, shell bombings have become commonplace. Yet still, among this tense and

fragile quiet surrounding the town, the opera house shows evident, warlike defiance against

Putin’s unwillingness to acknowledge Ukraine as an independent and diverse country.

In the same light, Ilona Trach says in her introduction to the program, “In case of sirens,

proceed to the shelter within the theater. You are the soul of this opera house, and we think it’s very important to demonstrate after 115 days of silence that we are able to perform.”

Since the Russia-Ukraine war started, the mayor of Odesa, Mr. Trukhanov, typically

viewed as favoring Russia, has become a vocal supporter of Ukraine and his city. In the New

York Times interview, he states, “Anyone capable of Bucha, of Mariupol, of what is happening

down the road in Mykolaiv, is capable of anything. That is what we have learned.”

Even in a city at risk of Putin’s invasion, the Odesa Opera House stands strong against

his hostile actions. However, no one can know how long the uneasy peace surrounding such a

city can last. But the city, its residents, and its culture must show, as the first quote notes, “that

Odesa is alive, that Ukraine is alive, that we want to live and create, while the way of the

Russian occupiers is killing and death.”

Link to article: Odesa Opera House Reopens Amid Putin’s War – The New York Times