It seems very political but clearly unfair and it would bring discredit on the long and harsh process of inscription for the others

Is this not exactly the purpose of an "emergency nomination" especially during wartime? The entire cultural and historic fabric of the city is under threat (though damage to the city so far as been limited). We also know that the nomination file was already partially developed (perhaps even close to completion).

Lest we forget . . . "UNESCO's mission is to contribute to the building of a culture of peace"

They will bring it forward as an emergency nomination (see article 161 & 162 of the Operational Guidelines). But that means it still will follow the same process (AB evaluation, WHC vote, at the same session as the other sites), just quicker. We may need to write it down for 2023 (or even 2022).

See this connection for sites that followed the same route (Ashur, Bam, Battir, Bethlehem, Hebron, Minaret of Jam).

Zelensky wants UNESCO to exclude Russia

"Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky on Tuesday officially requested that UNESCO add the historic port city of Odessa to its World Heritage List in a bid to protect it from Russian air strikes."

https://www.barrons.com/news/ukraine-s-zelensky-urges-unesco-cultural-protection-for-odessa-01665503107

In line with what Tsunami already noticed in his review of Odessa, Ukraine has submitted a "factual error letter" regarding its emergency nomination in which it seems to want to not see parts of its Russian Empire/Soviet history written on paper.

From their various comments, it seems to me that they don't want it to be referred to as having been founded by Catherine II the Great (instead it "developed" out of a previous fortress from the Crimean Tatars), or as a "Russian" city - probably for fear that Russia will jump on that to declare it as part of their historic territory.
I wonder whether Russia - still a committee member - will cause a fuss tomorrow, and prevent it from getting inscribed?

Joe Biden's photo op with Zelensky was in front of the St. Michael's Monastery, the headquarters of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine.

https://edition.cnn.com/2023/02/20/politics/biden-ukraine-zelensky-visit-one-year-war-anniversary-intl-hnk/index.html

A surprise visit...but the first thing that came up to my mind was whether he also wanted to make sure Ukraine keeps his son's business in Ukraine secret, as GOP begins the investigation...

I think it's totally irrelevant and not discussed. The Department of Justice has been investigating the U.S. President's son long before Republicans could begin their probes in January/February 2023.

This is clearly a moment shaped by the confluence of shoring-up Western support for Ukraine, the upcoming anniversary of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, and Putin's planned "State of the Nation" address.

To step away from the politics and focus on World Heritage:

Perhaps it's an important reflection point: Since the war began . . .

1) No World Heritage Session held in Kazan
2) Odesa is now a world heritage site
3) Russia is no longer the chair of the World Heritage Committee
4) Kyiv's inscribed area and the Historic Centre of Tchernigov are no longer under significant threat
5) Russia's mandate to be part of the world heritage committee ends later this year
6) Russian representative sings a few lines from a 'Soviet Period' song about Odesa during the Extraordinary Session
7) US impending full participation in UNESCO

I suppose a year from now in 2024, a few questions might have emerged within our community:

Q. Will Ukraine regain control of their Crimean world heritage site 'Ancient City of Tauric Chersonese and its Chora'?

Q. If Ukraine's candidature to join the world heritage committee is successful, how does this affect the World Heritage Session in the Summer of 2024?

Q. How soon after the war ends might Ukraine host the next World Heritage Session?

Q. Does Ukraine prepare any other world heritage nomination(s) on an emergency basis, for example Derzhprom?

Q. What Russian world heritage nomination will be submitted post 2/24/22 invasion? Could a "patriotic" file such as the Soviet WWII memorial in Volgograd be prioritized?

Q. Will Russia further challenge the territorial integrity of former Soviet states such as Moldova, Georgia, and Belarus? How does this affect inscribed sites and prominent tentative nominations like Orheiul Vechi (located adjacent to Transnistria) in Moldova?

BBC changed the photo in the above mentioned article, so I also changed the link to a CNN article.

Mt. Michael's Monastery is also known as the Golden Dome Monastery and is in the buffer zone of the Kyiv WHS.

Biden also visited St. Sophia's (also with golden domes), according to this article. It sounds like for these photo ops he and Volodymyr Zelensky walked on the Volodymyrska Passage from one end to the other.

Odesa and World Heritage Politics

Blog post about Odesa's nomination