Decolonizing Odesa: Peter Pomerantsev on the Fight for Cultural Sovereignty and Reputational Security

Zarina Zabrisky reports on a fascinating discussion with Peter Pomerantsev on the cultural importance of Odesa in the fight against Russia.

On a bright summer morning of 24 June 2024, the sky over Odesa turned tar-black as a Russian missile hit a supermarket warehouse, destroying 20,000 square meters of food and goods. Weekly attacks on civilian infrastructure are a part of Russia's dual strategy of physical destruction and information warfare against Ukrainians. By targeting critical infrastructure and spreading disinformation, the Kremlin aims to undermine morale. But while the nation is fatigued after two and a half years of the Russian full-scale invasion, the assaults only fortify the determination of Ukrainians to defend their land and identity.

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Odesa Decolonization Project

An example of this determination had taken place on 21 June 2024, a few days before the missile attack. Amidst blackouts and bombing, Ukrainian business owners, scholars, activists, journalists and citizens gathered to discuss the role of culture in the post-colonial process in Odesa, the Black Sea city with imperial history. Held in a bomb shelter of a hotel, the Odesa Decolonization forum also hosted Peter Pomerantsev, a Soviet-born British journalist, as a speaker. Fluent in Russian and in the process of learning Ukrainian, the world leading expert on Kremlin propaganda offered his perspective on the strategic importance of Odesa’s cultural identity in the Russian war of aggression and Ukraine’s counter measures to the information psychological warfare.

The Odesa Decolonization project, run by the Odesa Business Club and funded by USAID’s Ukraine Confidence Building Initiative (UCBI), is part of a national trend addressing the colonial legacies of Russia. After the adoption of the lengthily titled ‘Law on Condemnation and Prohibition of Propaganda of Russian Imperial Policy in Ukraine and Decolonization of Toponymy’ in 2023, post-colonial theory and its application has become a hot topic.

As of 27 April 2024, two Odesa districts, 210 streets and alleys, and ten squares were renamed, amidst heated discussions. The removal of monuments galore continues to cause storms on social media.