The May 2 Tragedy in Odesa: What Actually Happened at the Trade Unions House

Context: What Was Happening in Odesa in the Spring of 2014

The Pro-Russian Movement in Odesa

After the annexation of Crimea (March 2014), Russia attempted to destabilize southern and eastern Ukraine using the same scenario as in the Donbas: pro-Russian activists seized administrative buildings, demanding “federalization” or annexation by Russia.

In Odesa, the so-called “Anti-Maidan” was active — an organized pro-Russian movement:

Kulikove Pole (the square near the Trade Unions House) became a permanent camp for pro-Russian activists
The camp existed from March 2014 — tents, barricades, pro-Russian symbols
Among the participants were both local residents and coordinators from Russia
Weapons, Molotov cocktails, and clubs were openly gathered at the camp

Key Organizers

The pro-Russian movement in Odesa was coordinated by specific individuals, some of whom had direct ties to Moscow:

Anton Davydchenko — one of the leaders of Odesa’s “Anti-Maidan,” a coordinator of pro-Russian actions. After the events of May 2, he fled to Russia
Artem Davydchenko — an active participant who is also hiding in Russia
Serhiy Dolzhenkov (“Captain Kakao”) — one of the organizers of the pro-Russian movement, who coordinated the actions of militants on May 2
Vitaliy Budko — a pro-Russian activist, one of the organizers of the camp at Kulikove Pole

Despite available evidence, most of the organizers either fled to Russia or avoided serious punishment through prolonged court proceedings.

Chronology of May 2, 2014

Morning and Afternoon: A Planned Provocation

On May 2, 2014, a football match between Chornomorets (Odesa) and Metallist (Kharkiv) was scheduled in Odesa. Fans of both teams — who were pro-Ukrainian — planned a joint peaceful march for Ukrainian unity through the city center.

This march was known about in advance — and the pro-Russian camp at Kulikove Pole prepared for a provocation.

3:00–4:00 PM: Attack on the Peaceful March

When the column of football fans and pro-Ukrainian activists was moving along Hretska Street, they were attacked by pro-Russian militants:

The attack was coordinated — militants emerged from side streets
Firearms were used — shots were fired into the crowd from pistols and hunting rifles
Clubs, chains, and Molotov cocktails were deployed
The first victims died — participants in the peaceful march were killed by gunshots

Video recordings clearly show: the pro-Russian militants were the first to open fire. The UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission and the International Advisory Panel of the Council of Europe confirmed that the violence was initiated by the pro-Russian side.

The Role of the Police

The police were effectively inactive:

Did not separate the sides
Did not detain armed militants
Did not protect the peaceful march from the attack
It was later revealed that part of the Odesa police force sympathized with the separatists or had received instructions not to intervene

Police inaction was one of the main causes of the escalation, as documented in the report by the International Advisory Panel of the Council of Europe.

5:00–7:00 PM: Clashes Move to Kulikove Pole

After the attack on Hretska Street, the enraged crowd of pro-Ukrainian activists moved toward Kulikove Pole — toward the “Anti-Maidan” camp from which the militants’ actions had been coordinated.

At Kulikove Pole, chaotic clashes began:

Both sides threw Molotov cocktails
The camp’s tents caught fire
Some pro-Russian activists retreated into the Trade Unions House

The Fire in the Trade Unions House

The Trade Unions House caught fire as a result of Molotov cocktails thrown by both sides:

Molotov cocktails were thrown both from outside inward and from inside outward — this is documented in numerous video recordings
The building contained stockpiles of Molotov cocktails and other weapons that had been prepared in advance by participants of the “Anti-Maidan” camp
The fire spread rapidly due to the building’s old wooden structures

42 people died — predominantly pro-Russian activists who were inside the building. Most died from carbon monoxide poisoning, some from falling from windows while trying to escape.

Rescue Efforts

A fact that Russian propaganda never mentions: many pro-Ukrainian activists rescued people from the burning building:

Pro-Ukrainian activists broke window bars so people could escape
They set up ladders and improvised structures for evacuation from upper floors
They pulled people from the building and provided first aid
Videos show people with pro-Ukrainian ribbons helping the injured from both sides

In total, over 350 people were rescued from the building.

Casualties on Both Sides

Total number of deaths on May 2: 48 people

	Number	Circumstances
Killed in clashes on Hretska Street	6	From gunshot wounds (from both sides)
Killed in the Trade Unions House	42	From carbon monoxide poisoning, burns, falls from height

Among those killed on Hretska Street were pro-Ukrainian activists shot by pro-Russian militants. This fact is completely ignored by Russian propaganda.

Investigations

International Advisory Panel of the Council of Europe

In 2015, the International Advisory Panel, created by the Council of Europe, published a detailed report. Key conclusions:

Violence was initiated by the pro-Russian side — the attack on the peaceful march on Hretska Street
The police failed to fulfill their duty to protect peaceful citizens and prevent escalation
The fire was the result of chaotic clashes, not a planned arson
The investigation was ineffective — the Ukrainian authorities did not ensure a proper investigation

UN Monitoring Mission

Reports by the UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine documented:

The provocative nature of the pro-Russian militants’ actions
The presence of weapons in the pro-Russian camp long before May 2
Systemic shortcomings in the investigation by Ukrainian authorities

Independent “May 2” Group

Odesa journalists and activists created an independent investigation group for the events of May 2. Their conclusions based on thousands of video recordings and testimonies:

There were coordinators on the pro-Russian side who directed the militants’ actions
Some of the attackers on Hretska Street were not from Odesa — they had come from other cities and from Transnistria
The fire in the Trade Unions House was not a planned operation — it was the result of chaos and escalation

The Trial: A Mockery of Justice

The Dolzhenkov Case and Others

The trial of the organizers of the May 2 events dragged on for years and effectively ended in nothing:

Serhiy Dolzhenkov (“Captain Kakao”) — charged with organizing mass unrest. The case dragged on for years. In 2017, the court acquitted him and other defendants
The acquittal was explained by “insufficient evidence” — despite the availability of video recordings and testimony
After acquittal, Dolzhenkov effectively disappeared — according to some reports, he is in Russia

Who Fled to Russia

A significant number of organizers of the pro-Russian movement in Odesa fled to Russia, where they were received as “heroes”:

Anton Davydchenko — coordinator of “Anti-Maidan,” after the events of May 2, fled to Russia, where he was granted asylum
Numerous participants of pro-Russian formations moved to Russia or to the occupied territories of the Donbas
Some of them appeared on Russian propaganda shows as “victims of Ukrainian Nazism”
Some received Russian citizenship and positions

Why Justice Was Not Served

The failure of the investigation and prosecution is explained by several factors:

Corruption in the law enforcement agencies of Odesa in 2014 — some officers sympathized with the separatists
Sabotage of the investigation — evidence was lost, witnesses were intimidated
Political instability — Ukraine was in a state of war, law enforcement resources were limited
The complexity of the case — the chaotic nature of events made it difficult to establish individual responsibility
Flight of suspects — key organizers had left for Russia, where they are beyond the reach of Ukrainian justice

How Russia Uses the Tragedy

The Propaganda Narrative

Russian propaganda turned the tragedy of May 2 into one of its main instruments:

Kremlin media call the events the “Odesa Khatyn” — comparing them to a Nazi war crime
The number of victims in propaganda is artificially inflated — from “hundreds” to “thousands”
The context is completely distorted — the attack by pro-Russian militants on the peaceful march is never mentioned
Killed pro-Ukrainian activists are ignored — as if victims were only on one side
The fact that pro-Ukrainian activists rescued people is suppressed

”Odesa” as a Pretext for Invasion

Putin repeatedly cited Odesa as an example of “crimes against Russian-speakers.” In his address on February 24, 2022 (the start of the full-scale invasion), he mentioned the Odesa tragedy as one of the reasons for the “special operation.”

Meanwhile:

Russia has not conducted a single objective investigation of its own
Russia took in the organizers of the violence, instead of extraditing them for trial
Russia uses the dead as a propaganda tool, having no interest in justice

What the May 2 Tragedy Actually Shows

1. It Was Not a “Genocide”

Genocide is the systematic, planned destruction of an ethnic or national group. The events of May 2 were chaotic street clashes that began with an attack by pro-Russian militants and spiraled out of control. Victims were on both sides.

2. The Provocation Was Organized by the Pro-Russian Side

All independent investigations confirm: the violence started with an attack by pro-Russian militants on a peaceful march. Without this attack, the tragedy would not have happened.

3. The Organizers Are Hiding in Russia

If Russia truly wanted justice for those who died in Odesa, it would extradite the organizers of the separatist movement for trial. Instead, it gave them asylum — because they were carrying out the Kremlin’s orders.

4. Ukraine Acknowledges the Tragedy

Every year on May 2, mourning events are held in Odesa. The dead are honored. Ukrainian society acknowledges that the tragedy happened and that justice was not fully served. This is a painful topic — but an honest one.

For comparison: Russia has never acknowledged its responsibility for MH17 (298 dead), for Bucha, for the bombing of the maternity hospital in Mariupol, or for thousands of other crimes.

Conclusion

The tragedy of May 2 in Odesa is a real tragedy in which real people died. But it is not what Russian propaganda portrays it as.

It was not a “Nazi pogrom.” It was the result of a planned provocation by pro-Russian militants that spiraled out of control. The organizers of this provocation now live in Russia and appear on propaganda shows — instead of being held accountable in court for the deaths they caused.

Russia does not want justice for those who died on May 2. Russia wants to use their deaths as a weapon.