Odesa strike near Ukrainian president a reminder of daily dangers faced by the wartime leader

The war in Ukraine brings daily dangers for all who live within its borders — including its president.

A missile strike on Odesa on Wednesday put these dangers in full view of the visiting leader of Greece, as well as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, when the missile reportedly hit less than a kilometre from where they were meeting.

The Russian Defence Ministry said the Odesa strike was aimed at naval drones parked in a hangar. Ukrainian officials later said it appeared Moscow was targeting port infrastructure and that the presence of the two leaders was coincidental. On Thursday, a senior ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin said Zelenskyy was not being