Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, whose trips outside the capital kyiv have been rare since the start of the Russian invasion, paid his first visit to the town of Mykolaiv in southern Ukraine on Saturday.
A video, released by the Ukrainian presidency, shows him inspecting a badly damaged residential building and holding meetings with local officials.
Mykolaiv, a port and industrial city of almost half a million inhabitants before the war, is still under Ukrainian control, but it is close to the Kherson region, occupied by the Russians. It remains a target of Moscow, as it lies on the route to Odessa, Ukraine’s largest port, 130 km to the southwest.
The visit comes a day after a Russian strike killed two people and injured 20 in the city.
In the video, local governor Vitaliy Kim shows Mr Zelensky the damage to a residential building. The large building presents a gaping hole, with the interior of the apartments visible.
A blue and yellow Ukrainian trident is visible on one of the broken windows.
Mr. Zelensky also attended a meeting with local officials in what looked like an underground basement, where he handed out awards for bravery.
His office said they had discussed the state of the economy, the restoration of the water supply and the situation of agriculture.
Particular attention was paid to land and sea threats. We keep working for victorycan we read in the press release.
France Media Agency
Source: Radio-Canada
