It is perhaps for this reason that President Volodymyr Zelensky made a visit Wednesday to the Black Sea hub. In a bit of risky move, the Ukrainian leader also brought along Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis for the official visit. Russia reportedly sent missiles or drones against the city at the very moment of their visit.

Zelensky and Mitsotakis said explosions rang out while they toured Odesa. "We heard the sound of sirens and explosions that took place near us. We did not have time to get to a shelter," Mitsotakis told reporters. There are emerging reports and allegations that this was a targeted assassination attempt.

"It is a very intense experience… It's really different to read about the war in newspapers, and to hear it with your own ears, see it with your own eyes," Mitsotakis said of the strikes that reportedly hit close.

Zelensky in turn said before a press conference that he's heard initial reports of "dead and wounded" from Wednesday's fresh Russian strike on Odesa. "You can see who we are facing. They don't care where they strike," he told reporters.

Some online pundits are going so far as to call it an 'assassination attempt' targeting Zelensky, given some reports say at least one of the strikes hit very near where the pair were visiting. According to Politico: 

An explosion rocked the Ukrainian port city of Odesa on Wednesday during a top-secret visit there by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis.

The blast, caused by a ballistic missile, took place a few hundred meters away from the leaders' motorcade, a Greek official who was not authorized to speak publicly confirmed to POLITICO.

Greek State Minister Stavros Papastavrou, a top aide to Mitsotakis, confirmed to domestic media that there are no injuries among the Greek delegation following the explosion.