Czech president reveals whether he witnessed overnight attack in Odesa
Photo: Czech President Petr Pavel (Getty Images)
Czech President Petr Pavel left Odesa yesterday, March 20, less than half an hour before powerful explosions began, according to President Pavel's statement during a press conference with Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
"We left the city about 20 minutes before the powerful explosions began. It wasn’t because of the incident — we were there for the planned period of time, and it was just a coincidence," he noted.
According to the Czech president, he drew his own conclusion from this attack: one must be truly cynical to claim readiness for peace talks or any ceasefire negotiations while simultaneously launching a massive attack on civilian infrastructure.
"It is very difficult to negotiate with such a party, and I think we need to pay attention to these events to demonstrate how Russia approaches peace talks. And there must be accountability for this. We need to be very cautious about any future conditions," Pavel concluded.
Russian attack on Odesa
On the night of March 21, Russia launched a massive drone attack on Odesa and the surrounding area, causing large-scale fires in three locations across the city.
The drone strike damaged stores, a shopping center, and a residential building. Three people were injured, including children.
Notably, the attack occurred during the visit of Czech President Petr Pavel, who later stated that this does not indicate Russia's desire for a ceasefire.
In total, Russia launched 214 drones at Ukraine from five directions, with air defense forces shooting down 114 of them.
