Photos: Ukrainians in Odesa prepare for Russian assault

Dylan Stableford and Yahoo News Photo Staff
·2 min read
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As Russia continues its assault on Ukraine, people in Odesa are preparing to defend their port city.

Metal antitank barriers fill a cobblestone street. A roadblock, made from spare tires, is seen at a nearby intersection.

People fill bags of sand taken from beaches along the Black Sea. A monument in the city’s center is covered with them.

Officials say that more than half of Odesa’s million or so residents have fled, part of an estimated 3 million refugees who’ve left the country since Feb. 24, when the invasion began.

Many of those who stayed behind in Odesa have armed themselves ahead of an expected Russian advance.

People walk in the street among antitank barriers made of large crossed pieces of metal.
People walk among antitank barriers placed to protect historic landmarks in Odesa, Ukraine, on Monday. (Scott Peterson/Getty Images)
Lines of pre-dug graves at a cemetery on the outskirts of Odesa, Ukraine, on Thursday, March 17, 2022. (Jonathan Alpeyrie/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
Lines of pre-dug graves at a cemetery on the outskirts of Odesa, Ukraine, on Thursday, March 17, 2022. (Jonathan Alpeyrie/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
A Ukrainian soldier stands among sandbags at a checkpoint.
A Ukrainian soldier at a checkpoint in Odesa on Monday. (Nacho Doce/Reuters)
A wall of tires stacked three or four high blocks a road.
A wall of tires blocks a road in Odesa on Monday. (Scott Peterson/Getty Images)
Several volunteers receive weapons training in a room.
Volunteers receive weapons training in Odesa on Friday. (Alexandros Avramidis/Reuters)
A man carries sandbags on his shoulder near a beach.
A man carries sandbags near a beach in Odesa on Monday. (Nacho Doce/Reuters)
A tall monument in a city plaza is seen covered with sandbags almost to the top.
A monument covered with sandbags in Odesa on Saturday. (Nacho Doce/Reuters)
Two civilian women hold rifles as they receive weapons training.
Civilian volunteers receive weapons training in Odesa on Friday. (Alexandros Avramidis/Reuters)
A soldier stands guard behind a barrier made of sandbags.
A soldier stands guard behind a wall of sandbags near the Odesa Opera and Ballet Theater in Odesa on Monday. (Scott Peterson/Getty Images)
Rifles are seen lying on the ground as volunteers receive weapons training.
Rifles are seen on the ground as volunteers receive weapons training in Odesa on Friday. (Alexandros Avramidis/Reuters)
Volunteers at the beach scoop sand into sandbags for use in building barricades.
Volunteers fill sandbags to build barricades in Odesa on March 5. (Max Pshybyshevsky/AP)
A Ukrainian soldier stands guard near sandbag barricades outside the Odesa Opera and Ballet Theater.
A Ukrainian soldier stands guard near barricades outside the Odesa Opera and Ballet Theater in Odesa on Saturday. (Igor Tkachenko/Reuters)
A Ukrainian soldier looks out from a small opening in a sandbag barricade at a checkpoint.
A Ukrainian soldier looks out from a checkpoint in Odesa on Monday. (Nacho Doce/Reuters)
Antitank barriers made of large crossed metal pieces are seen on the outskirts of Odesa.
Antitank barriers on the outskirts of Odesa on March 1. (AP)

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