Zelensky and Greek Prime Minister Hear Russian Missile 'Bang' 500m Away

CNN "Explosion just 500m away"
Mitsotakis "A very intense experience"
Zelenskyy criticizes Russia for "attacks anywhere"

When the Greek Prime Minister visited Odesa, Ukraine, and met with President Volodymyr Zelensky, it was reported that the site of the Russian missile explosion was not far from the two leaders.

On the 6th (local time), major foreign media outlets cited local sources, reporting that "a Russian missile exploded just 500 meters away from President Zelensky and Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis."

[Image source=Yonhap News]

Dmytro Pletentshuk, spokesperson for the Ukrainian Navy, told the state news agency Ukrinform, "Five people died in this airstrike," adding, "The attack targeted the infrastructure of the port of Odesa."

However, Natalia Humeniuk, spokesperson for the Southern Command of Ukraine, stated in an interview with a media outlet, "The missile attack on Odesa has no connection whatsoever with the specific visit." She explained that there is no evidence that the Russian military had prior intelligence about the two leaders' planned visit and launched the attack accordingly.

Even if the missile strike was without prior information, had the two leaders been injured or killed, the war could have escalated significantly.

Prime Minister Mitsotakis said at a joint press conference that day that he experienced the missile strike firsthand, stating, "Sirens sounded and explosions were heard near us, but there was no time to go to the air raid shelter." He added, "It was a very intense experience," and continued, "Reading about war in newspapers is really different from hearing and seeing it with your own ears and eyes." President Zelensky also criticized Russia at the conference, saying, "They attack regardless of where anyone is."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.