Russia bombs Ukraine grain silos in ‘barbaric’ attack on food supplies

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Russia has bombed Ukrainian port cities for a third night in a row after warning it would treat grain ships as military targets, with the European Union saying the threat reflects Moscow’s “barbaric attitude” as it attacks food supplies.

At least two people were killed and at least 23 wounded in attacks on the Black Sea port city of Odessa and nearby Mykolaiv in the early hours of Thursday, Ukrainian officials said.

Three nights of airstrikes targeted Ukrainian ports as Moscow said Monday it would pull out of a deal that allowed grain to be exported by ship to global markets.

Andrey Yermak, chief of staff to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, said they were an attempt to “destroy the ability of the countries of the Global South to supply food”.

Moscow’s move to pull out of the Black Sea Grain Initiative, which has allowed some 33 million tons of grain to be exported by sea since last August, and its announcement that it would treat any incoming ships as a military threat , has pushed up global food prices.

Wheat prices rose 12 per cent last week based on US benchmark hard red winter wheat for September delivery.

“If this grain is not only stopped but also destroyed. , , “This is going to create a huge food crisis in the world,” EU foreign and defense chief Josep Borrell said on Thursday. “It is a very serious situation.”

Borrell said 60,000 tons of grain had been burned as a result of Russia’s bombing of storage facilities in Ukraine’s port infrastructure.

“The idea that any ship is considered a war ship and therefore a target for Russia’s military activities is a step forward to prevent Ukraine from exporting its grain,” he told a meeting of EU foreign ministers.

He said the “massive airstrikes” reflect Russia’s “barbaric attitude” which the council (of foreign ministers) will consider today.

“Ministers have to discuss how to proceed, but there is only one solution: to increase military support to Ukraine. If they are being bombed, then we have to provide anti-air capabilities,” he said.

Ukraine’s air force said the strikes carried out overnight Wednesday and Thursday “targeted ports, wharves, residential buildings and business networks” in the country’s southern regions.

Before the war, Ukraine accounted for about one-tenth of global wheat exports. According to analysts, the latest airstrikes indicate that Russia will not shy away from directly attacking wheat-exporting infrastructure and stocks.

“Even if the (Black Sea grain) deal is now renewed, it will not be as effective as it was before because of losses at ports,” said Carlos Mera, agriculture analyst at Rabobank. While Ukraine has alternative export routes for its grain, these involve significantly higher transportation costs.

In response to the Russian attacks, German Foreign Minister Annalena Bierbock said that work was underway to ensure that grain in Ukraine did not rot as a result.

“Hundreds of thousands of people, if not millions, urgently need grain from Ukraine, which is why we are working with all our international partners so that grain in Ukraine does not rot in silos over the next few weeks, but reaches Go to the people of the world who need it most urgently,” he said.