Its inhabitants had been preparing for these moments for weeks: since Monday, March 21, the Ukrainian city of Odessa has in turn been the target of Russian fire.
This historic city of Imperial Russia and gateway to the Black Sea is both a strategic and symbolic objective for the Kremlin in its war against Ukraine.
But the catacombs of the city play represent an asset for the Ukrainian population.
Our special correspondents Julie Dungelhoeff and Amar Al Hameedawi take us into this underground maze, with inhabitants.
The Ukrainians all know it now: the sirens announce the imminence of a Russian bombardment.
In Odessa, many inhabitants took shelter underground, in the catacombs: 2500 km of tunnel 20 meters below their feet.
Among them, Alexandre, who explains that this refuge can withstand a one-ton bomb.
And for good reason: it is this type of bombs that has hit the city of Mariupol in recent days.
Outside of the night, one finds in this underground city mainly women and children.
A mother does not hide her fear: "Who wouldn't be scared? We all want to stay alive".
Since the beginning of the Russian offensive, volunteers like Alexandre have wanted to prepare the inhabitants for the worst: "we put beds in place so that everyone could sleep, we insulated the walls in case we had to stay for a long time. But we hope that won't happen."
The strikes fired from Russian ships on Odessa have increased tenfold the anxiety of its population, which finds in its tunnels a semblance of comfort: "on Sunday, we heard the explosions. We were far, from the shelter but we got there refugees are running. Here we feel safer. We don't hear what's going on outside and the children don't panic," explains a mother.
A very precarious comfort, however, for a population filled with worries, like a young girl: "what scares me is that it lasts a very long time."
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