Reuters. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy and Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis were visiting the Black Sea port of Odesa on Wednesday (March 6) when a Russian missile hit the infrastructure, close enough for leaders to see the strike.
The attack occurred at an estimated 500 to 800 metre distance from the delegations, sources said.
A video published by Ukraine's presidential press service showed the leaders meeting at the port but did not include footage of the moment of the blast.
The Ukrainian air force announced a ballistic missile threat in the region this morning but there were no official reports up until the press conference after leaders inspected the port and Ukraine's humanitarian corridor for maritime exports.
The strike killed five people, a Ukrainian navy spokesperson said.
Mitsotakis, who was on his first visit to the country since Russia's invasion in February 2022, said that during the tour the delegation heard sirens and a big explosion as they headed towards their cars.
The Russian Defence Ministry said its troops attacked a hangar housing Ukrainian naval drones in the port, adding that "the goal has been achieved".
Ukraine's Black Sea port infrastructure has been a constant target for Russian attacks, which have stepped up since mid-July when Moscow quit a U.N.-brokered deal that allowed safe passage of Ukrainian grain shipments and Kyiv established its own export corridor.
Russia has launched over 880 attack drones and over 170 missiles on Odesa region port infrastructure since, a Ukrainian navy commander said during the tour.
