Municipal workers in Odessa removed the protective sandbags from the Duke de Richelieu monument on Sunday morning. The monument had been covered to protect it from Russian attacks at the beginning of the full-scale invasion.
Workers removed more than 1,000 sandbags that had surrounded the monument since March 2022. After the protective structure was dismantled, patches of corrosion were discovered on parts of the sculpture.
The issue of uncovering the monument was raised during an extraordinary session of the Odessa City Council on July 14. City council member Oleh Zviahin said the sandbag structures could already be damaging the sculpture and that the city needed a coordinated approach to removing wartime protection from its monuments.
Council member Svitlana Osaulenko said the city had prepared a decision to establish a special working group comprising representatives of all council factions, architects, restorers and other specialists.
City officials said the issue extends beyond the Duke de Richelieu monument. Dozens of monuments across Odessa were covered with sandbags and other protective structures following the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion.
The bronze monument to the Duke de Richelieu depicts Armand Emmanuel du Plessis, Duke de Richelieu, Odessa’s first city governor. Unveiled in 1828, it was the first monument erected in Odessa and remains one of the city’s best-known landmarks.
