<p>Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy visited the war-damaged southern city of Mykolaiv on Saturday for the first time since the Russian invasion in a rare trip outside Kyiv.</p>.<p>Zelenskyy's office published a video of him looking at a badly damaged high-rise residential building in the city and holding a meeting with local officials.</p>.<p>His visit comes a day after a Russian strike killed two people and injured 20 in the city.</p>.<p>Mykolaiv has been targeted by Russian forces since the start of their invasion on February 24.</p>.<p>In the video Zelenskyy was shown damage to a residential building by local governor Vitaliy Kim.</p>.<p>The tall building had a gaping hole, with the inside of apartments visible.</p>.<p>A blue and yellow Ukrainian trident was seen in one of the shattered windows.</p>.<p>He later also visited troops on the southern frontline in the Mykolaiv region, his office said in a statement</p>.<p>"I want to thank you for the great service," the Ukrainian leader told soldiers, according to the statement.</p>.<p>"For defending our state, each of us, our families, defending our sovereignty."</p>.<p>Earlier in Mykolaiv, Zelenskyy also took part in a meeting with local officials in what looked like an underground basement, giving out awards for bravery.</p>.<p>His office said they "discussed the state of the economy, the restoration of water supplies and the situation in agriculture".</p>.<p>"Special attention was paid to threats from land and sea. We do not stop working for victory," the statement read.</p>.<p>Mykolaiv has been holding the defence of southern Ukraine, as it lies on the way to the key strategic Black Sea port of Odessa.</p>.<p>The city is around 100 kilometres (62 miles) northwest of Kherson, which fell to Russian forces in the first weeks of the war.</p>.<p>The regional administrative building was hit by a Russian strike in March, tearing a hole through the centre of the complex and killing more than a dozen people.</p>.<p>Zelenskyy has been based in Kyiv since Moscow invaded, making his first trip outside the capital to the eastern city of Kharkiv in late May.</p>
<p>Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy visited the war-damaged southern city of Mykolaiv on Saturday for the first time since the Russian invasion in a rare trip outside Kyiv.</p>.<p>Zelenskyy's office published a video of him looking at a badly damaged high-rise residential building in the city and holding a meeting with local officials.</p>.<p>His visit comes a day after a Russian strike killed two people and injured 20 in the city.</p>.<p>Mykolaiv has been targeted by Russian forces since the start of their invasion on February 24.</p>.<p>In the video Zelenskyy was shown damage to a residential building by local governor Vitaliy Kim.</p>.<p>The tall building had a gaping hole, with the inside of apartments visible.</p>.<p>A blue and yellow Ukrainian trident was seen in one of the shattered windows.</p>.<p>He later also visited troops on the southern frontline in the Mykolaiv region, his office said in a statement</p>.<p>"I want to thank you for the great service," the Ukrainian leader told soldiers, according to the statement.</p>.<p>"For defending our state, each of us, our families, defending our sovereignty."</p>.<p>Earlier in Mykolaiv, Zelenskyy also took part in a meeting with local officials in what looked like an underground basement, giving out awards for bravery.</p>.<p>His office said they "discussed the state of the economy, the restoration of water supplies and the situation in agriculture".</p>.<p>"Special attention was paid to threats from land and sea. We do not stop working for victory," the statement read.</p>.<p>Mykolaiv has been holding the defence of southern Ukraine, as it lies on the way to the key strategic Black Sea port of Odessa.</p>.<p>The city is around 100 kilometres (62 miles) northwest of Kherson, which fell to Russian forces in the first weeks of the war.</p>.<p>The regional administrative building was hit by a Russian strike in March, tearing a hole through the centre of the complex and killing more than a dozen people.</p>.<p>Zelenskyy has been based in Kyiv since Moscow invaded, making his first trip outside the capital to the eastern city of Kharkiv in late May.</p>