Patrushev: Odessa’s Russian Roots Make Its Future Separate from Kyiv

Nikolai Patrushev, aide to the President of Russia and head of the Maritime Board, spoke on whether Russia could lay claim to Ukrainian ports and whether the issue will be raised during conflict resolution talks.

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Odessa

He emphasized that Russia respects the will of the people.

"This is evident from the experience of Crimea, Sevastopol, Donbas, and Novorossiya joining Russia,” Patrushev recalled.

He also noted that residents of various Ukrainian regions have the right to determine their own future — this includes the people of Odessa. According to the presidential aide, the vast majority of Odessa residents have nothing in common with Kyiv.

"And they are unlikely to tie their fate to neo-Nazism. They do not want to submit meekly to the illegitimate Kyiv authorities," Nikolai Patrushev said adding that Odessa was founded by Empress Catherine II and had been a Russian stronghold on the Black Sea for over 200 years.

"For the heroism displayed by its residents during the Great Patriotic War, Odessa was awarded the honorary title of Hero City on May 1, 1945. But 69 years later — on May 2, 2014 — this city became the scene of cold-blooded killings and unpunished ethnically motivated crimes," Nikolai Patrushev also said.

He also pointed out that the port of Odessa had been turned into a hub for arms shipments and a base for naval saboteurs.

Patrushev Accuses Kyiv of Destabilizing the Black Sea

According to Patrushev, responsibility for destabilization in the Black Sea rests with Kyiv.

"It is clear that the main factor of destabilization in the Black Sea region remains the actions of the Ukrainian army and the mercenaries fighting on its side,” he said.

At the same time, he stated that both Moscow and Washington are interested in ensuring maritime security in the Black Sea and are taking active measures. In his view, the next step to restore sea routes must come from Kyiv.

Additionally, Patrushev promised that Russia would respond to Western efforts to enforce a maritime blockade, which he said is being pushed by the United Kingdom and European Union.

"These measures will be met with an adequate and proportional response from our side. If diplomatic or legal tools fail, our Navy will be ready to ensure the safety of Russian shipping. Hotheads in London or Brussels must clearly understand this," Patrushev said.

Trump Says Zelensky Ready to Relinquish Crimea

At the end of April, U. S. President Donald Trump said that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is ready to relinquish claims to Crimea.

"Oh, I think so," Trump told reporters in New Jersey, when asked whether he thought Zelensky was ready to "give up" Crimea. 

Trump recalled that Crimea joined Russia while Barack Obama was President of the United States. At the same time, he said that Zelensky's current refusal to recognize the peninsula as Russian harms the peace negotiations.

"Kyiv lost Crimea many years ago under the leadership of former President Barack Obama, and it is not even a subject of discussion at this point," Donald Trump said. 

Earlier, referencing a report in The New York Times, Trump also said that the demand to return Crimea to Ukraine was "ridiculous.” He had previously stated that the territory would remain part of Russia as part of a peace deal.

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Nikolai Platonovich Patrushev (born 11 July 1951) is a Russian politician, security officer and former intelligence officer who served as the secretary of the Security Council of Russia from 2008 to 2024. He previously served as the director of the Federal Security Service (FSB) from 1999 to 2008. Belonging to the siloviki faction of president Vladimir Putin's inner circle, Patrushev is believed to be one of the closest advisors to Putin and a leading figure behind Russia's national security affairs. Patrushev has spoken favorably of the rise of KGB stalwarts to the highest echelons of power of Russia, referring to them as the "new nobility." He played a key role in the decisions to seize and then annex Crimea in 2014 and to invade Ukraine in 2022.

Odesa (also spelled Odessa) is the third most populous city and municipality in Ukraine and a major seaport and transport hub located in the south-west of the country, on the northwestern shore of the Black Sea. The city is also the administrative centre of the Odesa Raion and Odesa Oblast, as well as a multiethnic cultural centre. As of January 2021, Odesa's population was approximately 1,010,537. On 25 January 2023, its historic city centre was declared a World Heritage Site and added to the List of World Heritage in Danger by the UNESCO World Heritage Committee in recognition of its multiculturality and 19th-century urban planning. The declaration was made in response to the bombing of Odesa during the Russian invasion of Ukraine, which has damaged or destroyed buildings across the city.