Ukraine
Shelling during Odessa visit by Zelensky and Mitsotakis
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis give a joint press conference in Odessa. photo
© Uncredited/Ukrainian Presidential Press Office/AP/dpa
So far, nothing serious has happened when foreign politicians travel to war-torn Ukraine. Now Russian missiles are hitting not far from President Zelensky and a Greek guest.
During a meeting of the Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyj and Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis in Odessa, the southern Ukrainian port city was fired at with rockets by Russia. Shortly afterwards, a video showed that the two politicians were fine. But there were deaths and injuries, said Zelensky, according to Ukraine’s public television. A spokesman for the Ukrainian navy put the number of dead at five.
It was the first time in more than two years of the Russian war of aggression that Zelensky and a foreign guest were so affected by Russian fire. “We saw this impact today. You see who we are dealing with. They don’t care at all where they shoot,” said the head of state. Ukraine needs stronger air defense, he emphasized once again.
Greek head of government shocked
When the rockets flew in, Zelensky was showing his guest the port facilities of Odessa on the Black Sea and also pointed out damage from previous Russian attacks. Towards the end of this program, sirens and explosions could be heard nearby, Mitsotakis said, according to Ukrainian reports. “We didn’t manage to get into a shelter.” The Greek head of government was shocked.
According to official information, an air alarm was triggered over Odessa at 10:40 a.m. local time (9:40 a.m. CET). Shortly afterwards the rockets hit, the Ukrainian television station Suspilne reported. The Ukrainian Air Force also warned of the danger from missiles.
The Russian Defense Ministry announced in the evening that a hall in the port of Odessa had been destroyed by the shelling. Ukrainian sea drones were prepared there for combat use. This information could not be independently verified. The day before, the Ukrainian armed forces had used such remote-controlled explosive boats to sink the Russian patrol boat “Sergei Kotov” off the coast of the Crimean peninsula.
Von der Leyen: “vile attack”
EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen condemned what she called the “vile attack” on Zelensky and Mitsotakis. “No one will be intimidated by this new attempted terrorist attack – neither the two local heads of state or government nor the brave people of Ukraine,” she wrote on the X portal (formerly Twitter). Von der Leyen traveled to Ukraine six times during the war.
Zelensky’s travels within the country, as well as foreign visits to Ukraine, are usually not publicly announced for security reasons. Most guests travel by train – according to the Ukrainian Railways, more than 700 diplomatic delegations have been brought to Ukraine by train since the start of the war. Odessa is also easy to reach by car from the nearby Republic of Moldova or Romania.
In the case of von der Leyen’s trips and US President Joe Biden’s visit to Kiev in February 2023, it is known that Russia was informed in advance. It can also be assumed that Moscow will be informed about other visits via diplomatic channels.
Incidents in the past – but nothing more serious
Some guests, including Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier in the Chernihiv region, had to go to shelters because of the air alarm. However, there have been no more serious incidents so far. However, Federal Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock had to cut short a visit to the southern Ukrainian city of Mykolaiv at the end of February because a Russian reconnaissance drone temporarily followed her delegation.
Zelensky said he agreed with Mitsotakis to begin work on a bilateral security agreement. The Greek prime minister was due to travel to Bucharest later today to attend a two-day conference of the European People’s Party (EPP).
After the attack on Odessa: Zelenskyj calls for more help with anti-aircraft defense
After the recent Russian rocket attack on the southern Ukrainian port city of Odessa, which left several people dead, President Volodymyr Zelensky has once again called for more air defense support. “We need more protection,” said Zelenskyj in his evening video speech. During the attack in the morning, Zelenskyj had just led Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis through the metropolis on the Black Sea. “The world has enough air defense systems and capacities to produce weapons for defense,” Zelensky also emphasized.
The president and the Greek head of government are fine, but according to initial findings by Ukrainian investigators, at least five people were killed in the shelling. Mitsotakis later expressed his dismay at the incident. It was the first time in more than two years of the Russian war of aggression that Zelensky and a foreign guest were so affected by Russian fire.