Victory Day celebrations in the southwestern port of Odessa have been low key, amid simmering tensions.<br /><br />Last week, the city was rocked by violent clashes between pro-Russian forces and supporters of the Kyiv government – which left more than 40 people dead. <br /><br />“We used to think that we lived in a quiet city and we would avoid all the mess. But unfortunately we haven’t,” said one Odessa resident.<br /><br />“It is so wrong that people died without any reason.”<br /><br />It is feared that Odessa will be remembered as the area where Ukraine’s regional unrest sparked into nationwide conflict. <br /><br />Reporting from Odessa, euronews correspondent Angelina Kariakina, said that this year’s holiday was held amid an atmosphere of anxiety.<br /><br />“People here are still trying to recover from the recent events which, according to officials, took the lives of almost 50 people,” she said.<br /><br />“Both sides of the conflict have their own versions of what happened. But both say that such clashes are unusual in Odessa.”<br /><br />The trade union building – which caught fire during last week’s clashes – was a focus for some on Victory Day. They laid flowers to remember pro-Russian activists who died at the site. <br /><br />According to the region’s police chief, more than 120 people are under investigation in the wake of the violence.
