Team News Riveting
Kyiv, August 2
Russia attacked Ukraine’s main inland port across the Danube River from Romania on Wednesday, escalating global food prices as it ramps up its use of force to prevent Ukraine from exporting grain.
According to officials, the attacks destroyed buildings in the port of Izmail and halted ships in their tracks as they prepared to arrive there to load up with Ukrainian grain in defiance of a de-facto blockade Russia reimposed in mid-July. Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister Oleksandr Kubrakov said the Russian drone attacks damaged almost 40,000 tons of grains, which had been destined for countries in Africa, as well as China and Israel.
“Russian terrorists have once again attacked ports, grain, global food security,” President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on Telegram.
France has accused the Kremlin of deliberately putting global food security at risk after Russian drones strikes destroyed almost 40,000 tonnes of grain in an overnight strike on southern Ukrainian ports. Russian kamikaze drones damaged infrastructure at a facility on the Danube vital for grain shipments from Ukraine following the collapse of the Black Sea Grain Deal.
“The Russians attacked warehouses and grain elevators – almost 40,000 tonnes of grain were damaged,” Minister Oleksandr Kubrakov said in an English-language post on social media.
Kubrakov added that the grain was destined for some African countries, China and Israel, and accused Russia of using Iranian drones to carry out the attack.
“These are the very ports that have become the foundation of global food security today,” he said.
