Putin ally says Russia did not target Zelenskiy’s motorcade in Odesa

A senior ally of President Vladimir Putin said on Thursday that Russia had not targeted the delegation of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy in a missile attack on the port of Odesa the previous day.

Dmitry Medvedev, deputy chairman of Russia’s Security Council, said Moscow would have hit its target if that had been its aim and that it was obvious “to everyone” that there had been no planned strike on the motorcade.

A Ukrainian presidential adviser said earlier on Thursday that it could not be ruled out that a Russian missile strike on Odessa had targeted the delegations of Zelenskiy and visiting Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis.

The leaders were inspecting grain facilities in the Black Sea city when Russia launched an attack on port infrastructure there which the two leaders said they had witnessed.