The ODESSA, from the German Organisation der Ehemaligen SS-Angehörigen, meaning “Organization of Former SS Members,” supposedly was an international Nazi network set up towards the end of World War II by a group of SS officers. The purpose of the ODESSA was purportedly to establish and facilitate secret escape routes, later known as ratlines, to allow SS members to avoid capture and prosecution for war crimes and to escape to Argentina, Brazil or the Middle East.

Odessa or Odesa (, ; ) is the fourth largest city in Ukraine with a population of 1,003,705. The city is a major seaport and transportation hub located on the northwestern shore of the Black Sea. Odessa is also an administrative center of the Odessa Oblast and a multiethnic major cultural center.