2023-08-16 23:32:00
Russia has attacked Ukrainian ports seven times since pulling out of grain deal, Zelensky says
Destruction following Russian drone strikes on the Ukrainian port of Reni in the Odessa region on August 16. (SJTF_Odesa/Telegram)
An overnight drone strike in the Odessa region of southern Ukraine marked the seventh time Russia has attacked Ukrainian ports since it withdrew from the Dead Sea grain initiative, according to President Volodymyr Zelensky.
“Last night, Russian terrorists attacked our ports once more. Our infrastructure, which is used to ensure not only our food security, but global food security,” Zelensky said during his evening speech on Wednesday. “In just one month, since Russia’s attempt to boycott the Black Sea Grain Initiative, this was the seventh mass attack.”
“The port of Reni, the port of Izmail, the port of Pivdennyi, the port of Odessa, the port of Chornomorsk, Mykolaiv – every Russian attack is a blow to world food prices, a blow to social and political stability. in Africa and Asia,” he added.
The drone strike on Reni damaged warehouses and granaries, said Oleh Kiper, head of the Odessa regional military administration. No casualties were reported, he said.
Small ports on the Danube have become vital for Ukraine’s grain exports following the collapse of the Black Sea grain deal last month. Ukrainian officials say Russian forces are deliberately targeting port infrastructure on the river as part of an attempt to block exports, posing a threat to food security in developing nations that depend on Ukrainian grain.
“The basic thing that gives every society a normal life is food on family tables. No other terrorist in the world, except Russia, has so openly and deliberately attacked the security of so many nations at once,” Zelensky said. .
“We must respond to this. All of us! We need to counter this, actively, with joint efforts,” he continued.
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