The deadly Russian missile attack, Wednesday (6/3), on the port city of Odesa in Ukraine took place in the midst of a visit by President Volodymyr Zelensky and Greek Prime Minister (PM) Kyriakos Mitsotakis. The attack killed five Ukrainians.
Ukraine’s navy said Russia targeted port infrastructure killing five people and leaving a number injured. Mitsotakis, who held talks with Zelensky at the venue, said he heard sirens and explosions.
“We don’t have time to go to the shelter. It was a very intense experience,” Mitsotakis said through a translator in Odesa.
Ukraine steps up attacks behind Russian lines. Kyiv killed a Russian election official with a car bomb and attacked a metal factory with drones.
Russia and Ukraine have stepped up air strikes as Moscow’s forces advance to the front lines and Kyiv faces manpower and weapons shortages.
Ukrainian spokesman Dmytro Pletenchuk confirmed that the attack in Odesa occurred while the Greek delegation was visiting the port with Zelensky.
Also read: Volodymyr Zelensky Believes Ukraine Can Beat Russia
Russian forces do not differentiate between military or civilian targets.
“Whoever they are, whether they are international guests, these people don’t care,” Zelensky said.
The Russian defense ministry claimed the attack was on a hangar in the commercial port area of Odessa. The unmanned vessels are being prepared for use in combat by the Ukrainian armed forces.
Also read: Entering the Third Year of War, Ukraine is Still Defensive Against Russian Attacks
The attack came just days following 12 people, including five children, were killed when a Russian drone hit an apartment block in the same city on the Black Sea. It was one of the deadliest attacks on civilians in weeks.
As the White House struggles to end Republican silence on the United States’ new aid package to Ukraine, President Joe Biden’s National Security Council spokesman said the Odesa attack showed an urgent need to send weapons.
“This attack is a reminder of how Russia continues to wantonly attack Ukraine every day,” he said. (France24/Z-1)
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