Fears bridge assault will worsen food crisis

A KEY Ukrainian bridge has been targeted by long-range missile attacks, according to British intelligence, as the Kremlin attempts to exacerbate a looming global food crisis.

The strategically important Pidyomnyy Mist bridge, on the Black Sea coast, which provides rail and road links between the port of Odesa and the border with Russia to the north and Romania and Moldova to the west, was being bombarded continuously, the Ministry of Defence (MOD) said.

The crossing – also known as Zatoka bridge – is vital to Ukrainian efforts to export millions of tons of grain overland while its ports are blockaded by the Russian navy. Vladimir Putin, the Russian president, has been repeatedly accused of weaponising food supplies in order to put pressure on the West to ease its sanctions on Moscow.

“Beyond the Donbas, Russia continues to conduct long-range missile strikes against infrastructure across Ukraine,” the MOD social media post said yesterday. “The strategically important [Zatoka] bridge links Ukraine with [its] ports on the Danube, which have become critical to Ukrainian exports after the blockade of [its] Black Sea ports,” it said.

About 22 million tons of grain are stuck in Ukraine, one of the world’s largest wheat producers, prompting fears of a global food crisis. Ukraine has about a month to get it out of storage before the start of the next harvest.

Macky Sall, the Senegalese president and chairman of the African Union, has warned of a “catastrophic scenario” of food shortages and price rises. The Kremlin has promised to end its blockade if the West helps it to de-mine Odesa and lifts sanctions on Moscow.

However, some nations, led by the Baltic states and Poland, are sceptical about making deals with Russia after its previous claims, including that it had no plans to invade, proved to be false.

‘Russia continues to conduct long-range missile strikes against infrastructure across Ukraine’