Russian Missile Strikes 'Very Close' to Zelenskyy's Motorcade, Greek PM Calls it 'Intense'

Odesa – A Russian ballistic missile struck “very close” to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's motorcade while he was visiting Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis. The two world leaders visited the Ukrainian city of Odesa on Wednesday when the Russian missile strikes rocked the port city. The Greek premier recalled the incident and called the bombardment “intense”, The Guardian reported. The attack on port infrastructure killed five people and left many wounded. However, Greek State Minister Stavros Papastavrou, a top aide to Mitsotakis, maintained that there were no injuries among the Greek delegation following the explosion.

“We heard the sound of sirens and explosions that took place near us,” the Greek Prime Minister said while holding talks with the Ukrainian Prime Minister. “We did not have time to get to a shelter. It is a very intense experience,” he added. It is pertinent to note that Odesa has been under Russian fire since the start of Moscow's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. While addressing the matter, the Ukrainian leader claimed that Russian forces “don’t care whether [targets] are military or civilians; whoever they are, whether they are international guests, these people don’t care." Meanwhile, the White House spokesperson in Washington also confirmed that "[the rocket] landed near the convoy.”

Russia defends itself 

Meanwhile, the Russian defence minister claimed that the strike was on a “hangar in a commercial port area of Odesa in which crewless cutters were being prepared for combat use by the Ukrainian armed forces," The Guardian reported. The attack came just days after 12 people including five children were killed after a Russian drone struck a residential block in the same Ukrainian port city. While addressing a joint press conference, Mitsotakis recalled the incident and stated that this is the reason why Europe needs to support the conflict-stricken region. “This is one more reason why all European leaders should come to Ukraine. Because it is one thing to hear the description from the media or from President Zelenskyy and it is quite another to experience the war first-hand,” the Greek premier averred.