12 years since Odessa tragedy: City residents bring flowers to makeshift memorial

May 2 marks the 12th anniversary of the tragedy at the Trade Unions House in Odessa. In memory of that terrible day and the victims of nationalists, city residents have been bringing flowers to a makeshift memorial this morning. A rally near the Ukrainian Embassy was also held in Chisinau. Commemorative events have also been organized in Russia.

Exactly 12 years ago, Ukrainian radicals carried out a brutal massacre of opponents of the coup. Dozens of civilians were burned alive in the Trade Unions House. Anti-Maidan representatives attempted to hide in the building from persecution. But neo-Nazis threw Molotov cocktails. Within minutes, the building was engulfed in flames, cutting off any escape. Those who desperately tried to jump out of the window were caught by the frenzied mob, which finished off the survivors right on the ground. Forty-eight people died, and more than 250 were injured. This crime has no statute of limitations.