Please ensure Javascript is enabled for purposes of website accessibility
Russian Missiles Target Ukraine's Food Storage Sites After Days of Hitting Port Facilities
By admin
Published 1 year ago on
July 21, 2023

Share

Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...

Russian cruise missiles destroyed farm storage buildings in the Odesa region early Friday, Ukrainian officials said, as Moscow’s forces expanded their targets following three days of bombardment of the southern region’s Black Sea port infrastructure.

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 part of an ongoing 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 of the low-flying cruise missiles hit initially and started a blaze, and 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 an 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 that they will treat ships traveling to each other’s Black Sea ports as potential military targets.

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 in order 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, who helped negotiate the deal. “We know that (Putin) has some expectations from Western countries. Western countries need to take action on this issue.”

He reiterated he would talk to Putin by phone and hoped to meet him in Turkey next month.

Consequences of Grain Facility Attacks

In comments reported by state-run news agency Anadolu and other media, Erdogan warned that end of the grain initiative would raise global food prices, increase famine and unleash new waves of migration.

The Russian Defense Ministry, meanwhile, said the navy conducted drills that simulated action to seal off a section of the Black Sea. In the maneuvers, a missile boat fired anti-ship cruise missiles at a mock target.

The ministry also said it fired long-range sea launched weapons on facilities “used for preparation of terror attacks against the Russian Federation involving drones,” adding that “all the designated targets have been hit.” It didn’t elaborate.

Russian President Vladimir Putin, meantime, repeated his claim that Ukraine’s much-anticipated counteroffensive is failing, although he offered no evidence.

Putin, whose authority was shaken last month by a short-lived rebellion from a Russian mercenary force, told a meeting of his Security Council that the Ukrainian military has suffered massive losses and the West is struggling to maintain supplies of weapons and ammunition.

Putin also spoke provocatively about Poland, alleging that Warsaw has formed a special military unit to ensure security in western Ukraine and has plans to meddle in Kyiv’s affairs.

In other developments, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced the resignation of the country’s culture minister, suggesting the ministry’s spending was misguided during wartime.

“Paving stones, city decorations, and fountains can wait till after the victory,” he said.

The move follows recent scandals involving local authorities, such as the repair of a cobblestone road in central Kyiv and renovation of a fountain in a city in western Ukraine city.

Zelenskyy also fired the Ukrainian ambassador to the United Kingdom, Vadym Prystaiko, who was also ambassador to the International Maritime Organization. He gave no reason, but Prystaiko had publicly criticized the president on occasions.

RELATED TOPICS:

DON'T MISS

Jeffrey Sachs Warns of Looming US War With Iran

DON'T MISS

Cat House on the Kings Urgently Needs You to Donate Dollars and Adopt Your New Best Friend

DON'T MISS

The Surprising Sexual Politics of Nicole Kidman’s Kinky ‘Babygirl’

DON'T MISS

Why It’s Hard to Control What Gets Taught in Public Schools

DON'T MISS

FDA Approves Weight-Loss Drug to Treat Obstructive Sleep Apnea

DON'T MISS

In a Calendar Rarity, Hanukkah Starts This Year on Christmas Day

DON'T MISS

A Look at the $100 Billion in Disaster Relief in the Government Spending Bill

DON'T MISS

It’s Eggnog Season. The Boozy Beverage Dates Back to Medieval England but Remains a Holiday Hit

DON'T MISS

9-Year-Old Among 5 Killed in Christmas Market Attack in Germany

DON'T MISS

Biden Signs Bill That Averts Government Shutdown, and Brings a Close to Days of Washington Upheaval

UP NEXT

9-Year-Old Among 5 Killed in Christmas Market Attack in Germany

UP NEXT

White House Pushes to Find American Journalist Abducted in Syria

UP NEXT

Iran’s Rial Hits a Record Low, Battered by Regional Tensions and an Energy Crisis

UP NEXT

Middle East Latest: Israeli Strike in Gaza Kills at Least 8 From the Same Family, Palestinians Say

UP NEXT

Israel OKs Golan Heights Settlement Expansion Amid Syria Leadership Shift

UP NEXT

Canada’s Finance Minister Resigns as Trudeau Faces Biggest Test of His Political Career

UP NEXT

Germany’s Scholz Loses a Confidence Vote, Setting up an Early Election in February

UP NEXT

Death Toll in Gaza From the Israel-Hamas War Tops 45,000 Palestinians, Health Officials Say

UP NEXT

The First New Foreign Policy Challenge for Trump Just Became Clear

UP NEXT

Israeli Strikes Kill 35 in Gaza, Including 12 Aid Truck Guards

Why It’s Hard to Control What Gets Taught in Public Schools

11 hours ago

FDA Approves Weight-Loss Drug to Treat Obstructive Sleep Apnea

11 hours ago

In a Calendar Rarity, Hanukkah Starts This Year on Christmas Day

12 hours ago

A Look at the $100 Billion in Disaster Relief in the Government Spending Bill

12 hours ago

It’s Eggnog Season. The Boozy Beverage Dates Back to Medieval England but Remains a Holiday Hit

12 hours ago

9-Year-Old Among 5 Killed in Christmas Market Attack in Germany

13 hours ago

Biden Signs Bill That Averts Government Shutdown, and Brings a Close to Days of Washington Upheaval

13 hours ago

This French Bulldog Is So Fetch: Meet Toaster Strudel

15 hours ago

The Fed Expects to Cut Rates More Slowly in 2025. What That Could Mean for Mortgages, Debt and More

17 hours ago

New California Voter ID Ban Puts Conservative Cities at Odds With State

18 hours ago

Jeffrey Sachs Warns of Looming US War With Iran

In a recent interview, renowned economist Jeffrey Sachs outlined his concerns about the possibility of war with Iran, framing it as the culm...

10 hours ago

10 hours ago

Jeffrey Sachs Warns of Looming US War With Iran

10 hours ago

Cat House on the Kings Urgently Needs You to Donate Dollars and Adopt Your New Best Friend

11 hours ago

The Surprising Sexual Politics of Nicole Kidman’s Kinky ‘Babygirl’

11 hours ago

Why It’s Hard to Control What Gets Taught in Public Schools

11 hours ago

FDA Approves Weight-Loss Drug to Treat Obstructive Sleep Apnea

12 hours ago

In a Calendar Rarity, Hanukkah Starts This Year on Christmas Day

12 hours ago

A Look at the $100 Billion in Disaster Relief in the Government Spending Bill

12 hours ago

It’s Eggnog Season. The Boozy Beverage Dates Back to Medieval England but Remains a Holiday Hit

Help continue the work that gets you the news that matters most.

Search

Send this to a friend