In Ukraine, a 'New Attempt at Terror' by Russia

The sound of a large explosion reverberated around the Ukrainian port of Odesa as President Volodymyr Zelensky and Greece's prime minister ended a tour of the war-ravaged southern city Wednesday. Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said the delegations were getting into their vehicles when they heard the blast, which he called a "vivid reminder" that Odesa is gripped by the war with Russia, the AP reports.

It is one thing to hear about the war and "quite another to experience war firsthand," Mitsotakis said. Zelensky said the explosion caused an unknown number of dead and wounded. "You see who we're dealing with, they don't care where to hit," he told reporters. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen condemned in a post on X what she called the "vile attack" during the Greek visit. She called it a "new attempt at terror" by Russia.

Zelensky showed Mitsotakis around the destruction in Odesa, where in the most recent major Russian attack 12 people—including five children—were killed when debris from a Russian drone hit an apartment block on March 2. The BBC reports that Russia said it targeted a maritime drone facility in the Wednesday attack. (More Russia-Ukraine war stories.)