Ukrainian Presidential Press Service/Reuters
Zelenskiy said the missile landed near where he was meeting with Mitsotakis, third from the right.
CNN
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The Russian missile that killed five people in the Black Sea port city of Odesa on Wednesday landed just 500 meters from a convoy carrying Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy and Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, officials said. did.
Officials said the two leaders' convoy felt the effects of the attack and the group saw a “mushroom cloud” of smoke.
Ukrainian Navy spokesman Dmytro Pretenchuk told CNN that five people were killed and more were injured in the attack.
Neither leader was injured, but Zelenskiy said he was close enough to see and hear the attack.
“We witnessed this strike today. We see who we are dealing with, they don't care where they strike. We know there were casualties today. “We don't know the details yet, but we know there are dead and injured,” President Zelenskiy said from Odesa on Wednesday.
“We need to protect ourselves first and foremost. The best way to do that is with air defense systems,” he added.
Mitsotakis said Zelenskiy had given him a tour of the city, which had been badly damaged by months of Russian airstrikes, before hearing the air raid siren.
“Right after we got into the car, we heard a loud explosion,” Mitsotakis told reporters late Wednesday. “For us, I think this is the most vivid reminder that there is a real war going on here. There is war happening every day, and it doesn't just affect the front lines and soldiers, it affects us… It also affects our innocent fellow citizens.”
President Zelenskiy has frequently undertaken high-risk front-line expeditions and has welcomed dozens of world leaders to Ukraine during the more than two-year war with Russia, but Wednesday's attack was the closest to the president. This may be one of the requests.
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Odessa is located at the mouth of the Danube River and is a vital location for Ukraine's grain exports, which Russia has repeatedly tried to block since the beginning of its invasion. It is also the main base of the Ukrainian Navy.
The Russian Ministry of Defense announced that Russian forces carried out the attack at 11:40 a.m. Moscow time (3:40 a.m. Eastern time).
“The Armed Forces of the Russian Federation launched a high-precision missile attack against a hangar in the Odesa Industrial Port area, where preparations for combat use of unmanned boats of the Armed Forces of Ukraine were underway. The goal of the strike was achieved. The object collided “We did so,” he said in a statement, without mentioning Zelenskiy or Mitsotakis.
Russia has stepped up attacks in the region in recent days, and on Saturday a Russian drone struck an apartment complex in the city, killing 12 people, including five children, Ukrainian officials said. did.
Zelenskiy said that the attack had once again reinforced the need to further strengthen the country's air defense system.
He has often argued that Western leaders need to visit Ukraine to understand the reality of Russia's ongoing aggression.
President Zelenskiy, speaking after Wednesday's attack, said he welcomed Mitsotakis to “honor the memory” of those killed in Sunday's attack and called on allies to provide further support.
“The world has the capacity to produce sufficient air defense systems and weapons for defense,” he said in his daily address. “Weapons are needed here to save lives. Solutions are needed now, not someday, but for those enduring terrorist attacks day and night.”
In Washington, where President Joe Biden's request for $60 billion in aid to Ukraine has stalled, the White House said the attack was another sign that the war-torn country needed more military aid. He said he used it to pressure House Speaker Mike Johnson to move up the vote. in the package.
“This attack is yet another reminder that Russia continues to recklessly attack Ukraine every day and, in particular, of Ukraine's urgent need for air defense interceptors,” a National Security Council spokesperson said. Ta. “We reiterate our call to the House of Representatives to take action to assist Ukraine in providing its military with much-needed equipment to protect against these outrageous Russian attacks.”
European Council President Charles Michel condemned the attack as “another sign of Russia's dastardly tactics” and said it “falls short of the Kremlin's strategy.”
Michel was visiting Odessa in May 2022 when Russia launched 10 cruise missiles into the region.
