Missile lands near Zelenskyy, Greek PM
Russian strike narrowly misses motorcade
• A Russian missile strike appeared to target Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Wednesday, landing near his motorcade in the Black Sea port city of Odessa, where the president was meeting with Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis.
Zelensky and members of the Greek delegation were not harmed, despite the missile landing some 150 metres away, Greek officials told the Protothema news outlet. The Ukrainian presidential office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Zelenskyy and Mitsotakis were visiting the Odessa port around 10:40 a.m. when air raid sirens could be heard. The explosion then occurred within minutes.
“We witnessed the strike today,” Zelenskyy told reporters after. “You see who we’re dealing with; they don’t care where to hit. I know there were casualties today; I don’t know all the details yet, but I know there are casualties.”
“Whether they are military, civilians, international guests — it doesn’t matter to these people,” he added. “Either they’ve lost their minds, or they have no control over their terrorist army’s actions. This emphasizes the need for us to defend ourselves, and the best way is through an air defence system.”
Throughout two years of war with Russia, Zelenskyy has frequently travelled throughout Ukraine and has often visited front-line locations at great risk. But Wednesday would mark one of the closest calls for both the president and a visiting foreign leader.
“We heard the sound of sirens and explosions that were very close to us,” Mitsotakis was quoted by the Ukrainian state broadcaster as saying. “We didn’t have time to go to a safe place.”
“It was a very striking experience,” Mitsotakis added. “We understand that this war concerns everyone; there are no people who are outside of the war. War spares no one, and Ukraine is resisting barbaric force. It’s different to read about the war in the newspaper and to feel it, to hear it with your own ears.”
Odessa has been particularly hard-hit in recent days, and Zelenskyy has pointed to delays by allies in supplying air defence in contributing to the rising toll of civilian deaths in the city. Over the weekend, a Russian attack on an apartment building killed 12, including five children. Zelenskyy and Mitsotakis visited the site of the March 2 strike, each laying a bouquet of flowers at a makeshift memorial.
Because drones and missiles heading for Odessa are typically launched from the nearby occupied Crimean Peninsula, also on the Black Sea, people there typically have little time to seek shelter after an air alert is declared.
The city is an economic lifeline for Ukraine with its busiest port.