republic · Poland, Lithuania and Russia

Odessa Soviet Republic

1918 CE – 1918 CE · capital Odessa

A Bolshevik republic proclaimed in Odessa in January 1918, which lasted only until the German and Austrian advance in March.

Origins

In January 1918 Bolsheviks and their allies seized Odessa after street fighting with forces of the Ukrainian People's Republic. They proclaimed the Odessa Soviet Republic, with Vladimir Yudovsky as head of its council of people's commissars, claiming authority over the city and surrounding province.

Rule and society

The republic relied on Red Guards and Black Sea Fleet sailors, imposed levies on the wealthy and carried out arrests and executions. It also fought the Kingdom of Romania, which had occupied Bessarabia, and reached a short-lived ceasefire agreement with it. Its control barely extended beyond the city.

Decline and legacy

After the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk, Austro-Hungarian and German troops advanced on Odessa, and the Soviet leaders evacuated the city in March 1918. The republic was nominally merged into the Ukrainian Soviet Republic and ceased to exist.

Connections (2)

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Cite this page
APA
The Epoch Institute. (2026). Odessa Soviet Republic. In The Epoch Institute States Register. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/odessa-soviet-republic
MLA
“Odessa Soviet Republic.” The Epoch Institute States Register, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/odessa-soviet-republic. Accessed .
Chicago
The Epoch Institute. “Odessa Soviet Republic.” The Epoch Institute States Register. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/odessa-soviet-republic.
Harvard
The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Odessa Soviet Republic’, The Epoch Institute States Register. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/odessa-soviet-republic (Accessed: ).

Last reviewed October 2026Random state ↻