Since Russia pulled out of the grain deal with Ukraine, its attacks on Ukrainian ports have damaged or partially destroyed 105 port infrastructure facilities, Oleksandr Kubrakov, Ukraine’s infrastructure minister, said on his official Facebook page on Sept. 13.
Due to strikes on the ports of the Danube cluster and Russia’s seaports blockade, grain exports to Asia, Africa and Europe were reduced by almost three million tonnes per month, according to the minister.
In July 2022, a deal was struck between Russia and Ukraine – brokered by Turkey and the UN – allowing cargo ships to sail along a corridor in the Black Sea. Almost 33 million tonnes of grain were shipped from Ukraine under the deal, and world food prices declined by roughly 20% as a result, according to the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization.
The deal expired on July 17 and since then Russia has launched a series of air attacks on Ukraine’s ports, destroying thousands of tonnes of grain. The ports of the Danube cluster are currently the only waterway for Ukrainian agricultural exports.
Kubrakov stressed that the ports need “powerful air defense systems” otherwise the consequences of the attacks could be much worse.
Russia launched another drone attack on the Ismail region of Odesa overnight on Sept. 13, injuring six civilians and damaging port and other civil infrastructure.
Read also: Ukraine war latest: Strike on shipyard in occupied Sevastopol damages 2 Russian vessels
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