(NewsInsights.org) – In its war against Ukraine and as a means to seek relief from economic sanctions, Russia has shown no hesitancy to attack food infrastructures. A recent drone attack on Danube port on December 7 provides another example.
Odessa Governor Oleh Kiper told news outlets that a series of 18 Shahed drones kept the port facility under attack for over two hours. He said that while Ukrainian Air Defenses nullified 15 of the unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), three slipped through.
The drones that slipped past defenses damaged a grain elevator, a warehouse, and trucks near the Danube River, killing one driver, according to the governor. Russia has repeatedly attacked the Danube port facility after blockading Black Sea ports. The Danube River port became critical in allowing Ukraine to export grain to trade partners.
Meanwhile, Russia has stepped up both its grain production and exports and its attacks on Ukrainian grain export infrastructure, including Black Sea ports and the Danube River port. Simultaneously, Moscow has stepped up its rhetoric, promising African nations it can provide free grain to shore up food insecurity caused by its aggression.
Ukraine has begun utilizing land transport and has still made an impressive number of shipments from Black Sea ports and the Danube. However, the nation’s overall export volume is down due partly to Russia’s sabotage of facilities and to their direct destruction of more than 300,000 tons of grain since July 2023 in ships, trucks, ports, silos, and even fields.
In 2022, Türkiye and the United Nations brokered the Black Sea Grain Initiative from July 2022 to July 2023. In July 2023, Russian President Vladimir Putin indicated he had no intention of renewing the deal for 2023. Instead, he ordered the Kremlin to target Ukrainian grain infrastructure. In August 2023, in a video address to the BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa) summit, Putin blamed NATO and the West for Russia’s departure from the grain initiative. However, he promised that Russia would remain a reliable food source for African nations.
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