KYIV – Russia fired Kalibr cruise missiles from the Black Sea region of Odesa for the fourth night in a row, targeting the port and infrastructure, after Moscow withdrew from a UN agreement that allowed Ukraine to continue exporting food. the world.
“Two stones hit the warehouses of one agricultural enterprise in Odesa,” said Oleg Kiper, head of the Odesa military unit. words Friday morning. “While rescuers were struggling to put out the fire, another missile hit the same business, destroying agricultural and rescue equipment.” Two workers were injured in the attack, he added, and 100 tons of chickpeas and 20 tons of barley were destroyed.
More than a million tons of grain are waiting to be shipped to Africa and Asia at Ukrainian ports, which Russia has been monitoring every night. Exiting the Black Sea Grain Initiative on July 18which raises concerns about food prices around the world, especially in countries without food.
Earlier this week, Russia destroyed a grain warehouse at the port of Odesa that contained 60,000 tons of grain bound for China, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said. words Wednesday.
The Secretary General of the United Nations, António Guterres, said that the wheat agreement has stabilized the world wheat prices, which are rising again.
Russia’s attacks on Ukrainian ports and wheat fields “are also having a significant impact beyond Ukraine. We are already seeing negative effects on the prices of wheat and corn around the world that are hurting everyone, but especially the vulnerable people in the south of the country,” Stéphane Dujarric, Guterres’ spokesman, said on Thursday.
Russian President Vladimir Putin he swore Moscow will return to the agreement only if its demands are met. These include Western countries reinstating Russia’s agricultural bank into the SWIFT international payment system and lifting insurance restrictions on its ships.
The UN-brokered wheat deal with Turkey caused Russian farmers to lose $1.2 billion, Putin said, adding that countries that depend on Ukrainian corn should buy from Russia instead.
“Our country can replace Ukrainian crops, both commercial and free. Especially since we are expected to have a record harvest this year,” Putin said.
Russia’s decision to withdraw from the grain deal, and its threat on Wednesday to shoot down all ships passing through the Black Sea to Ukrainian ports, created a crisis. warning from Kyiv that it will do the same for all ships going to Black Sea ports controlled by Russia.