Ukrainian President Zelensky reports that Russian forces have targeted Ukrainian ports on seven occasions following Moscow’s withdrawal from a grain agreement.
In Ukraine‘s southern Odesa region, an overnight drone attack on Wednesday marked the seventh instance of Russia targeting Ukrainian ports since Moscow‘s withdrawal from the Black Sea grain deal, as stated by President Volodymyr Zelensky.
During his evening address on Wednesday, Zelensky remarked, “Russian terrorists have once again directed their attacks towards our ports. These infrastructures play a role in ensuring not just our own, but collective global food security. In the mere span of one month since Russia’s attempt to undermine the Black Sea Grain Initiative, this marks the seventh substantial Russian assault today.”
Zelensky continued, “The ports of Reni, Izmail, Pivdennyi, Odesa, Chornomorsk, Mykolaiv – each Russian assault upon them constitutes a blow to worldwide food prices and a disruption to social and political stability in Africa and Asia.”
The drone strike on Reni inflicted damage on warehouses and granaries, according to Oleh Kiper, the head of the Odesa regional military administration. He confirmed that there were no reported casualties.
Following the collapse of the Black Sea grain deal last month, small ports along the Danube River have taken on a crucial role in Ukrainian grain exports. Ukrainian authorities assert that Russian forces are intentionally targeting river-based port facilities as part of their efforts to obstruct exports, thereby posing a risk to food security in developing countries reliant on Ukrainian grain.
Zelensky underscored, “Fundamental aspects that contribute to a decent life for every society include food on families’ tables. No other terrorist entity in the world, except for Russia, has openly and systematically attacked the security of numerous nations simultaneously.”
“We must respond to this challenge, all of us together! We need to actively counteract this with united endeavors,” Zelensky emphasized.
