In Odessa, for the first time during the war, sandbags were removed from the Duke monument: why was the protection removed

In 2022, the city’s residents covered the statue to protect it from Russian shelling.

In the center of Odessa, the sandbags that were used to cover the ancient monument to Duke Armand de Richelieu in 2022 to protect it from shelling by Russian occupiers have been removed.

As an UNIAN correspondent reports, the initiator of the opening of the Duke was Odessa City Council deputy Oleg Zvyagin. In particular, during the City Council session in July and the recent meeting of the executive committee, he stated that the monument is covered with tons of sand, and, according to architects, the monument may be lost. The fact is, according to the deputy, that due to the powerful pressure of the sand and its effect on the bronze from which the monument is made, the latter is subject to destruction.

This morning, a group of Odessa City Council deputies, including Zvyagin, Oleksandr Avdeev, Roman Senyk, and Oleksiy Yeremytsia, arrived at Primorsky Boulevard. An excavator was also brought in to remove sand from the monument.

Avdeev published a corresponding video on Facebook and stated that the deputies freed the Duke from the captivity of the bags that had covered it for four years. “When we talked about this problem at the meeting of the executive committee, I suggested the fastest option: not to wait for tenders and contractors, but to gather in factions and simply start stretching these bags. There is still a lot of work ahead, because we do not yet know what condition the monument is in. But I am sure: we will put everything in order…”, – the deputy emphasized.Read also:

He emphasized that Duke “must look at the sea again” and remind everyone that Odesa will withstand a Russian invasion.

As UNIAN was told by the city hall, the authorities have not made any decisions regarding the removal of sand from the Duke. At the same time, they confirmed that about a month ago, the secretary of the city council, Ihor Koval, instructed the city’s department of culture and cultural heritage protection to urgently prepare proposals for actions regarding the fate of the monument.

As noted by Fedir Stoyanov, Head of the Department for UNESCO and Cultural Heritage Protection, today, at the initiative of city council deputies, work began on freeing the monument to the Duke de Richelieu from sandbags that had protected the sculpture from debris and shock waves since the first days of the full-scale war.

According to Stoyanov, the city planned to partially dismantle the protective layer in order to gain access to the sculpture and assess its condition with the involvement of specialized specialists.

“The Duc de Richelieu is one of the symbols of our city. It is important for us to preserve it for future generations. After several years of the monument being under a protective structure, a natural question arose about the condition of the metal sculpture itself,” Stoyanov noted.

After the monument was unveiled, the first visual inspection showed that the sculpture is in satisfactory condition. No signs of dangerous processes, deformations, or other damage that could threaten the condition of the sculpture or pedestal have been detected so far.

In the coming days, the monument will be examined by specialists from the Construction Academy and specialists in the field of cultural heritage protection. Based on the results of the examination, further measures for its protection will be determined. In particular, the issue of restoring the protective structure and its possible renovation will be considered. Several options have been previously worked out, as it is necessary to ensure reliable protection of the monument from possible attacks by the Russian Federation in the future. The final decision on the further protection of the Duc de Richelieu will be made after a professional examination.

According to a July 2023 report from the city hall, 185 tons of sand were used to protect the Duke monument during the war year alone. To protect the monument, it was twice covered with several thousand sandbags.

History of the Duke Monument

This is the first monument erected in Odessa. It is a kind of visiting card of the city. In particular, the monument was opened in 1828 in honor of the Frenchman – Armand Emmanuel du Plessis, Duke de Richelieu, who was the governor-general of the region and the mayor of Odessa.

According to historical records, the people of Odessa greatly loved and respected the Duke, who returned to France after the fall of Napoleon’s empire. He was to help rebuild his country and soon became the head of the French government. On September 26, 1814, Odessa said goodbye to its mayor – more than 2,000 weeping people followed his carriage on foot to the first postal station outside the city. On May 17, 1822, the 55-year-old Richelieu suddenly died in Paris from a stroke. When this news reached Odessa, an official mourning period was declared in the city.

The bronze statue was installed on Primorsky Boulevard, accessed from the Odessa Port Marine Station by the Potemkin Stairs. Duke is a monument of architecture and urban planning, a monumental art of national significance.

In early March 2022, local residents in Odessa began covering the Duke monument with sandbags to protect it from shelling.

(c)UNIAN 2026