In what appears to be a targeted attack, a Russian missile was seen landing near Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Wednesday.
Zelensky and his motorcade were in the Black Sea port city of Odessa meeting with Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis.
Zelensky and accompanying members of the Greek delegation were not harmed, despite the missile landing roughly 500 feet away.
It was around 10:40 a.m. when air-raid sirens could be heard above the port. The explosion occurred within minutes of Zelensky and Mitsotakis' arrival. "We witnessed the strike today," Zelensky 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," Zelensky 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 defense system."
Zelensky frequently travels within Ukraine and has often visited high-risk front-line locations throughout the two years of war with Russia.
The incident marks 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."
Over the weekend, a Russian attack on an apartment building killed 12, including five children. Odessa has been particularly bombarded with civilian deaths in recent days, as Zelensky notes delays by allies in supplying air defense.
Drones and missiles heading for Odessa are typically launched from the nearby Crimean Peninsula, also on the Black Sea, where people have little time to seek shelter after an air alert is issued, reported The Washington Post.
"The world has enough missile defense systems, systems to protect against Shahed drones and missiles," Zelensky said in a recent address on his social media referring to Iranian-made attack drones used by Russia. "And delaying the supply of weapons to Ukraine, missile defense systems to protect our people, leads, unfortunately, to such losses."
While Zelensky didn't specifically refer to the United States, the US is Ukraine's largest donor of weapons and a new security assistance package from Washington has been stalled in Congress for months now.
This is a developing story.
