Russia targets Ukraine’s farm storage buildings
Kyiv, Ukraine— Russia followed its withdrawal from a grain export deal by expanding its attacks from port infrastructure to farm storage buildings in Ukraine’s Odesa region on Friday, while also practicing a Black Sea blockade.
Other Russian missiles damaged what officials described only as an “important infrastructure facility” southwest of the port city of Odesa, in what appeared to be an effort to cripple Ukraine’s food exports.
Attacks in recent days have put Odesa in Russia’s crosshairs after Moscow abandoned a wartime deal that allowed Ukraine to send grain through the key Black Sea port.
In the attack on the storage site, two low-flying cruise missiles started a blaze, then another struck during firefighting efforts, regional Gov. Oleh Kiper said. The barrage injured two people, damaged equipment and destroyed 100 metric tons of peas and 20 metric tons of barley, Kiper said.
Russia targeted Ukrainian critical grain export infrastructure after vowing to retaliate for what it said was a Ukrainian attack that damaged a crucial bridge between Russia and the Moscow-annexed Crimean Peninsula.
“The enemy is continuing terror, and it’s undoubtedly related to the grain deal,” said Natalia Humeniuk, a spokeswoman for the Ukrainian military’s Operational Command South.
Both Russia and Ukraine have announced they will treat ships traveling to each other’s Black Sea ports as potential military targets.
Russia’s Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Vershinin clarified the Defense Ministry’s announcement earlier this week that Moscow has declared wide areas in the Black Sea dangerous for shipping. The ministry said it would consider incoming vessels as laden with weapons and treat the country of its flag a participant in the conflict on the Ukrainian side.
Vershinin said the Russian navy will inspect the vessels to make sure they aren’t carrying military cargo before taking any other action.
“There is no longer a sea humanitarian corridor, there is a zone of increased military danger,” he told a news briefing.
Vershinin added that Russia will fulfill the needs of African countries despite the deal’s termination. President Vladimir Putin has promised to provide poor countries in Africa with free grain.
The Institute for the Study of War, a Washington-based think tank, said the recent strikes against port and grain infrastructure and threats of escalation at sea “are likely a part of a Kremlin effort to leverage Russia’s exit from the Black Sea Grain Initiative and exact extensive concessions from the West.”
In Turkey, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Western countries should address Russia’s demands to restore the Black Sea grain corridor.
“Russia has some expectations. If these are overcome, Russia is in favor of the active work of this grain corridor,” said Erdogan.