The sound of a large explosion reverberated around the Ukrainian port of Odesa as President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Greece’s prime minister ended a tour of the war-ravaged southern city Wednesday.
Quick Read
- An explosion occurred in Odesa, Ukraine, as President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis concluded their city tour.
- The blast, leaving an unknown number of casualties, was described by Mitsotakis as a stark reminder of Odesa’s war situation.
- Zelenskyy highlighted the indiscriminate nature of the attacks, emphasizing the challenge of dealing with such aggression.
- The incident received no immediate response from Russian officials.
- This event adds to the series of visits by Zelenskyy and foreign dignitaries to war-affected areas, often marked by air raid precautions.
- European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen denounced the attack as a terror attempt by Russia on social media.
- The visit also touched on Odesa’s historical significance to Greece, particularly its role in the Greek independence movement.
The Associated Press has the story:
A blast rocks Ukrainian city of Odesa during a visit by Zelenskyy and Greece’s PM
Newslooks- KYIV, Ukraine (AP) —
The sound of a large explosion reverberated around the Ukrainian port of Odesa as President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Greece’s prime minister ended a tour of the war-ravaged southern city Wednesday.
Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said the delegations were getting into their vehicles when they heard the blast, which he called a “vivid reminder” that Odesa is gripped by the war with Russia with Russia. It is one thing to hear about the war and “quite another to experience war firsthand,” Mitsotakis said.
Zelenskyy said the explosion caused an unknown number of dead and wounded. “You see who we’re dealing with, they don’t care where to hit,” he told reporters.
Russian officials made no immediate comment.
Zelenskyy has regularly visited cities and military units on the front line during the war, always in secrecy until after he has left. Foreign leaders have made numerous trips to Ukraine, and they occasionally have had to take refuge in shelters when air raid sirens sound.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen condemned on X, formerly Twitter, what she called the “vile attack” during the Greek visit. She called it a “new attempt at terror” by Russia.
Zelenskyy showed Mitsotakis around the destruction in Odesa, where in the most recent major Russian attack 12 people — including five children — were killed when debris from a Russian drone hit an apartment block on March 2.
Mitsotakis said Odesa held a special place in Greek history as the place where the Filiki Etairia organization was founded that fought for Greek independence from Ottoman rule in the 19th century.
