Russia Attacks Ukraine’s Main Port, Disrupting Grain Exports and Raising Global Food Prices
KYIV, Aug 2 (Reuters) – In a move to prevent Ukraine from exporting grain, Russia launched an attack on Ukraine’s main inland port across the Danube River from Romania on Wednesday. The attacks on the port of Izmail destroyed buildings and halted ships that were preparing to load up with Ukrainian grain, in defiance of Russia’s de-facto blockade that was reimposed in mid-July.
The Russian drone attacks damaged nearly 40,000 tons of grains, which were destined for countries in Africa, China, and Israel, according to Ukrainian deputy prime minister Oleksandr Kubrakov. President Volodymyr Zelenskiy condemned the attacks, stating that ”Russian terrorists have once again attacked ports, grain, global food security.”
Russian state news agency RIA claimed that the port and grain infrastructure hit at the port was housing foreign mercenaries and military hardware, and a naval ship repair yard had also been targeted. However, Reuters was unable to verify this report.
Video footage released by Ukrainian authorities showed firefighters battling a large blaze in a building with broken windows. Several other buildings were in ruins, and grain spilled out of wrecked silos. Fortunately, there were no reports of casualties.
The attacks have had a significant impact on global food prices, with Chicago wheat prices rising by nearly 5% following the attack. Concerns about a hit to global supplies have kept prices up at over $6.63 a bushel.
Ukraine is one of the world’s top grain exporters, and Russia has been targeting its agricultural and port infrastructure for more than two weeks. This escalation began after Russia refused to extend an agreement that had lifted its war-time blockade of Ukrainian ports last year.
In response to the attacks, President Vladimir Putin spoke with Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan, the sponsor of the grain export deal. The Kremlin stated that Putin reiterated Russia’s condition for rejoining the grain deal, which is the implementation of a parallel deal improving terms for its own food and fertilizer exports. Erdogan’s office confirmed that Putin would soon visit Turkey, as the Turkish president hopes to convince Putin to rejoin the grain deal.
Moscow has described its recent attacks on Ukraine’s grain infrastructure as retaliation for a Ukrainian strike on a bridge to Crimea, which is used to supply Russian troops in southern Ukraine.
The United States ambassador to Ukraine, Bridget Brink, condemned the attacks, stating that “Round-the-clock and intensifying Russian strikes on Kryvyi Rih, Kharkiv, Kyiv, Kherson make it clear once again Russia has no desire for peace, no thought for civilian safety, and no regard for people around the world who rely on food from Ukraine.”
Ukrainian officials believe that the goal of the attacks is to reimpose Russia’s blockade by convincing shippers and their insurance companies that Ukrainian ports are unsafe for exports. Natalia Humeniuk, a military spokesperson in southern Ukraine, stated that “It is the enemy’s priority to convince the international community and ship-owners in particular that navigation in the direction of Ukrainian-controlled ports is dangerous.”
The impact of the attacks is already being felt by producers in Ukraine. Kees Huizinga, a farmer in Ukraine’s central Cherkasy region, stated that they cannot deliver 700 tons of contracted barley due to the attacks.
Ukraine’s Danube river ports, such as Izmail, accounted for around a quarter of grain exports before Russia pulled out of the Black Sea deal. Since then, they have become the main remaining route for grain exports, with grain loaded onto barges and shipped to Romania’s Black Sea port of Constanta for onward shipment.
The United Nations has warned of a potential food crisis in the world’s poorest countries due to Russia’s decision to abandon the grain deal, which was brokered by the U.N. and Turkey.
Moscow has declared that it will treat ships heading to Ukrainian seaports as potential military targets. Ukrainian officials claim that Russia has hit 26 port facilities, five civilian vessels, and 180,000 tonnes of grain in nine days of strikes since quitting the grain deal.
Written by Pavel Polityuk, Peter Graff, and Hugh Lawson; Edited by Simon Cameron-Moore and Philippa Fletcher
How have the recent Russian attacks on Ukraine’s main port impacted global food prices?
The recent attack by Russia on Ukraine’s main port, which has disrupted grain exports and led to a rise in global food prices. The attack took place at the port of Izmail, located across the Danube River from Romania. Russian drone attacks destroyed buildings at the port and halted ships that were preparing to load up with Ukrainian grain.
Nearly 40,000 tons of grains, destined for countries in Africa, China, and Israel, were damaged by the Russian attacks, according to Ukrainian deputy prime minister Oleksandr Kubrakov. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy condemned the attacks and referred to the Russian perpetrators as “terrorists”, accusing them of attacking global food security.
The Russian state news agency RIA has claimed that the attacked port and grain infrastructure housed foreign mercenaries and military hardware. However, Reuters has been unable to verify this report.
Video footage released by Ukrainian authorities showed the efforts of firefighters battling a large blaze at the port. Several buildings were destroyed, and grain spilled out of wrecked silos. Thankfully, there were no casualties reported.
The attacks have had a significant impact on global food prices, with Chicago wheat prices rising by almost 5% following the attack. Concerns about potential disruptions to global supplies have caused prices to stay above $6.63 a bushel.
Russia has been targeting Ukraine’s agricultural and port infrastructure for over two weeks, beginning after Russia refused to extend an agreement that had lifted its war-time blockade on Ukrainian ports last year.
In response to the attacks, Russian President Vladimir Putin spoke with Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan, who is the sponsor of the grain export deal. The Kremlin stated that Putin reiterated Russia’s condition for rejoining the grain deal, which includes the implementation of a parallel deal improving terms for Russia’s own food and fertilizer exports. Erdogan’s office confirmed that Putin would soon visit Turkey, as the Turkish president hopes to convince Putin to rejoin the grain deal.
Russia has described its recent attacks on Ukraine’s grain infrastructure as retaliation for a Ukrainian strike on a bridge to Crimea, which is used to supply Russian troops in southern Ukraine.
The United States ambassador to Ukraine, Bridget Brink, has condemned the attack, emphasizing the need for a peaceful resolution to the conflict and the protection of Ukraine’s sovereignty.
