The Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky he narrowly escaped a Russian missile during his visit to Odessa together with the Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis. Explosions were reported just 150 meters from the convoy of cars carrying the two leaders, prompting questions about the severity of the attack and its possible intent. “I don't know the details, but I know that there are dead and injured,” Zelensky said during the press conference. According to the Ukrainian leader, the fact that the Russians attacked Odessa during the visit of an international guest "means that either they have lost their minds, or they do not control their army."
Mitsotakis had arrived in Ukraine secretly, following the procedure to avoid possible Russian attacks. “It was an impressive experience, we understand that this war affects everyone and spares no one,” declared the Greek prime minister.
Russian attack on Odessa: random or targeted?
The episode brought to light at least five victims, but no one among the members of the delegations was involved. However, there remains an aura of uncertainty about what happened: theattack was random o targeted? The Russian Defense Ministry announced that the target of the attack was a hangar that housed naval drones, which was hit and destroyed. Ukrainian navy spokesman Dmytro Platenchuk linked the Russian attacks on Odessa to defeats suffered at sea. “We have sunk or seriously damaged over a third of the Russian Black Sea fleet, 27 ships in total, of which 14 are large tonnage,” he said. “Their coastal bombardment actions are a response to their defeat at sea.”
However, the Odessa episode is reminiscent of another visit by an international leader, when the UN Secretary General António Guterres he was forced to seek refuge in Kiev after a tense meeting with Vladimir Putin in Moscow. That episode signaled a clear warning from Russia: the invasion of Ukraine would not stop.
The EU's reactions
What happened triggered the reactions outraged by various European leaders, who did not hesitate to harshly condemn the attack. The President of the European Council, Charles Michel, tweeted: “The attack in Odessa during the visit of President Volodymyr Zelensky and Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis is another sign of Russia's cowardly tactics in its war of aggression against Ukraine. This is reprehensible and even below the Kremlin's rules."
The EU Commissioner for Economy, Paolo Gentiloni, commented: “Russian drones in Odessa against the motorcade of Zelensky and Greek Prime Minister Mitsotakis. They were together to commemorate the victims of another Russian attack. Shame!".
Even the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, expressed strong condemnation: “I strongly condemn the cowardly attack on Odessa by Russia during the visit of Volodymyr Zelensky and Kyriakos Mitsotakis. No one is intimidated by this new attempt at terrorism, certainly not the two leaders on the ground nor the brave Ukrainian people. More than ever, we stand by Ukraine."
