Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis were reviewing damage done to the coastal city of Odesa when a Russian ballistic missile struck nearby. Sources in the city indicated the missile landed within a few hundred meters of Zelenskyy. A spokesperson for the Ukrainian navy indicated that at least five people died in the attack.
The strike’s proximity to Zelenskyy’s motorcade has led some observers to label this an attempted assassination. However, capturing the historic Black Sea city has long been one of Russian dictator Vladimir Putin’s top goals for the illegal invasion of Ukraine, and missile attacks on the city have been frequent.
Barring additional evidence, it’s likely that this missile was not intended specifically to assassinate the Ukrainian president, but was only part of Russia’s ongoing campaign of indiscriminate attacks against civilian locations. Thousands of Ukrainians have died in their homes, businesses, and at gathering places like shopping malls.
The missile hit Odesa on Wednesday morning after Zelenskyy had just finished showing Mitsotakis facilities at the port that have served as the primary location for Ukrainian grain shipments and have frequently come under attack by Russia. Though Zelenskyy’s visit to Odesa was not announced, he and Mitsotakis had been in the city for several hours at that point and their location was known.
So it is possible that someone tipped off Russia to the visit, resulting in the near miss. It’s not possible to know for sure at this time.
The missile strike comes as the Russian military continues to press forward following Russia’s capture of the small city of Avdiivka on Feb. 18. For days following the withdrawal from Avdiivka, Ukrainian troops were forced to retreat in that area, and at other locations along the front.
However, over the past three days, there have been reports of Ukrainian success at setting up new defensive positions and slowing Russia’s advance. There are even some locations where Ukraine has reportedly counterattacked against overextended Russian troops, taking back positions that had been lost.
Ukraine has made genius use of some of the weapons provided by the U.S. and others, but they continue to face a critical shortage of ammunition. Reuters reports that European allies are working around the clock to try to keep Ukraine supplied after “the stalling of U.S. military aid, which has been the backbone of international support.”
Meanwhile, the chief architect of that stall, House Speaker Mike Johnson, was sitting in the big chair this morning when the House chaplain delivered a very special prayer.
Johnson continues to block the Senate bill on Ukraine assistance and though he has reportedly opened the way for Republicans to craft their own Ukraine plan in the House, nothing has emerged so far.
Back in Ukraine, the commander of ground forces has announced goals for the coming year. However, Ukraine’s actions are hampered by a shortage of ammunition and threatened by a growing Russian force. It’s already too late for the United States to provide the level of assistance that would be needed for a major Ukrainian counterstrike in 2024, but unless the Johnson logjam is broken soon, Ukraine will have all it can handle fighting back against Russia’s advance.
On Monday evening, Russia’s Black Sea Fleet got a little smaller. Again.
