KYIV, July 23 (Reuters) – Russian missiles hit infrastructure in southern Ukraine’s Odesa on Saturday, the Ukrainian military said, dealing a blow to a deal signed on Friday to unblock grain exports from the ports of the Black Sea.
The historic deal signed by Moscow and Kyiv on Friday is seen as crucial to curbing global food prices and would allow certain exports to be sent from Black Sea ports, including the center of Odesa.
“The enemy attacked the commercial sea port of Odesa with Kalibr cruise missiles,” Ukraine’s Southern Operational Command wrote on the Telegram messaging app. Two missiles hit port infrastructure, while two others were shot down by air defense forces, he said. Read more
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Ukraine’s foreign ministry called on the United Nations and Turkey, which brokered Friday’s deal, to ensure that Russia honors its commitments and allows free passage through the grain corridor. Read more
Russia’s defense ministry did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment.
A blockade of Ukrainian ports by Russia’s Black Sea fleet since Moscow’s Feb. 24 invasion of its neighbor has trapped tens of millions of tons of grain and grounded many ships. This has worsened global supply chain bottlenecks and, along with Western sanctions on Russia, fueled food and energy price inflation.
Friday’s export deal aims to stave off hunger among tens of millions of people in the poorest nations by injecting more wheat, sunflower oil, fertilizer and other products into world markets, including for humanitarian needs, in part at lower prices.
Senior UN officials, briefing reporters on Friday, said the deal was expected to be fully operational within weeks and would restore grain shipments from the three reopened ports to pre-war levels of 5 million tons per month. Read more
Under the deal, Ukrainian officials would guide the ships through safe channels through the mined waters to three ports, including Odesa, where they would be loaded with grain.
Moscow has denied responsibility for the crisis, blaming Western sanctions for slowing its own food and fertilizer exports and Ukraine for exploiting approaches to its Black Sea ports.
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Reporting from the Reuters offices Writing by Jacob Gronholt-Pedersen Editing by Frances Kerry
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