A powerful explosion occurred in Odessa. Suspilne reported this at about 11 a.m. local time.
According to information from the telegram channel of the head of the Odessa region Oleg Kiper, the air raid signal lasted just under half an hour.
At this time, a meeting between Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky and Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis took place in the Odessa port, reports the Greek state agency ERT. According to the publication, the head of the country's government was not injured during the visit.
Speaking after a meeting with Mitsotakis, Zelensky said that “there were casualties” as a result of the attack.
“We saw this blow today. You see who we're dealing with, they don't care where to hit. I know that there were casualties today, I don’t know all the details yet, but I know that there are dead and wounded,” Zelensky said.
The organization of Mitsotakis’s visit to Odessa took place secretly. News that the Prime Minister of Greece came to Ukraine began to appear after the official meeting of the heads of the two states.
The Russian Ministry of Defense a few hours later confirmed the missile attack on Odessa and called its target “a hangar in the industrial port area of Odessa,” in which “preparations for combat use were carried out unmanned boats«. The Russian military did not mention the meeting between Zelensky and Mitsotakis in the port.
Updated at 19:28. Added comment from the Russian Ministry of Defense.