Vladimir Putin is targeting Ukraine's port city of Odessa because of its historic and cultural significance in addition to its strategic position on the Black Sea, Odessa City Council Member Peter Oukhov told Newsmax.
''I think that Putin's dream is to take Odessa because it's a historical city,'' Oukhov said Tuesday on ''Eric Bolling: The Balance.'' ''It's like a south pearl; the north pearl is St. Petersburg. … That's why he certainly wants to capture us.''
But Oukhov said success for the Russian military will be ''nearly impossible'' in Odessa because its residents, like those of the capital, Kyiv, and throughout Ukraine, have prepared themselves to fight alongside the military.
It would be ''very stupid for Putin to attack Odessa from the sea,'' because of Ukraine's strong and visible coast guard.
''And we have missiles, and you understand that the ships, they are very good,'' Oukhov said, ''and [Russia] will be easily shut down.''
While Odessa is surrounded by Russian troops and ships, Oukhov told Bolling that residents have plenty of supplies and food to last at least two to three weeks.
''I think that we have a lot of local produced food. We will not stay without food,'' he said. And before that runs out, he said, ''I believe that the war will be ended.''
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