Volodymyr Zelensky witnessed a deadly Russian missile attack just a few hundred meters away while visiting Odessa in Ukraine.
A naval drone hangar was hit in the port overlooking the Black Sea, according to the agency Russian Ministry of Defense.
A Ukrainian Navy spokesman said that five people were killed in the attack.
President Zelensky He was touring the war-torn southern city Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis visit Odessa. Photo: Reuters
Reuters reported that the attack occurred about 500 to 800 meters from where the leaders were.
At a joint press conference after the strike, Zelensky said: “It seems to me that we not only heard this strike, but we saw it today.
“You see who we're dealing with, they don't care where they hit.”
Mitsotakis, who was on his first visit to the country since the Russian invasion in February 2022, said that during a tour of the port and humanitarian corridor in Ukraine, the delegation heard sirens and a large explosion as they headed toward their cars.
“I think for us this is the most visible reminder that there is a real war going on here,” Mitsotakis said, urging other European leaders to visit Ukraine to learn first-hand about the impact of the war on civilians.
the Ukrainian The Air Force announced a ballistic missile threat in the area on Wednesday morning, but there were no official reports until the press conference after the leaders' tour.
Zelensky regularly visited cities and military units on the front line during the war, and was always kept secret even after he left.
Photo: Reuters
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Foreign leaders also made several trips to Ukraine, sometimes having to seek shelter when air raid sirens sounded.
Ukraine's Black Sea port infrastructure has been a frequent target of Russian attacks, which have escalated since mid-July when Moscow withdrew from a UN-brokered deal allowing safe passage of Ukrainian grain shipments and Kiev created its own export corridor.
The leaders visited a makeshift memorial to victims of an earlier drone strike that struck an apartment building in Odessa. Photo: Reuters
A Ukrainian Navy commander said during the tour that Russia has launched more than 880 attack drones and 170 missiles at Odessa port infrastructure since then.
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Greece, A NATO A member and traditional ally of Ukraine's attempt to join the military alliance European UnionIt offered military assistance to the country.
On Wednesday's visit, Mitsotakis reiterated Greece's continued support.
“My presence here reflects the respect of the entire free world for your people and confirms Greece’s commitment to remain by your side,” he told Zelensky.
Photo: Reuters
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The Ukrainian president also stressed the importance of air defense capabilities, and said that the two countries have begun working on a bilateral security agreement, similar to the agreement that Kiev has already signed with other countries.
Mitsotakis added that Greece will participate in a high-level peace conference in Ukraine SwitzerlandWhich the host country said would happen “by the summer.”
The leaders also visited an apartment building, the site of a Russian drone attack on Saturday that killed 12 people, including five children.
