A Russian night attack damaged infrastructure in the port of Odessa, a key site for the export of Ukrainian grain, hours after the expiry of an agreement which allowed it to be transported through the Black Sea despite the invasion Russian.
Moscow announced on Monday its refusal to extend this cereal agreement signed in July 2022 under the aegis of the United Nations and Turkey and then extended several times, denouncing the obstacles to trade in fertilizers and Russian products.
Before dawn on Tuesday, six Kalibr missiles and 21 Iranian-made Shahed-136 explosive drones launched by Russia on Odessa were “destroyed” by Ukrainian air defense, regional governor Oleg Kiper said on Telegram.
“The debris from the destroyed missiles and the shock wave damaged port infrastructure and several private homes” causing one injury, he added, without giving any indication of the extent of the damage.
In total, on the whole Ukrainian territory, 31 attack drones were shot down out of the 36 launched overnight by Russia, the Ukrainian Air Force said.
Northeast of Odessa, in Mykolaiv, another major southern city, “industrial infrastructure” was also hit, causing a fire but no casualties, according to Governor Vitaly Kim.
Odessa and its region are home to the three ports through which Ukraine could, under the Black Sea Grain Initiative, export its agricultural products despite the war and the blockade imposed by Russia.
In one year, the agreement has enabled the removal of nearly 33 million tonnes of cereals from Ukrainian ports, mainly corn and wheat, helping to stabilize world food prices and avert the risk of shortages.
Moscow’s refusal to extend this agreement was denounced by UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres, who stressed that “hundreds of millions of people are facing hunger” and will “pay the price”.
Anthony Blinken, the head of American diplomacy, for his part described the Russian decision as “unacceptable”, accusing Moscow of using “food as a weapon”.
Ukrainian attack
As for Ukraine, it has shown its willingness to continue exporting its cereals via the Black Sea, with or without Moscow’s agreement on ship safety.
“Even without Russia, everything must be done so that we can use this corridor in the Black Sea. We are not afraid,” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said.
For the time being, Russia has indicated an end of non-receipt to the calls which had multiplied for the renewal of the agreement.
“If Western capitals really appreciate the Black Sea Initiative, then they seriously consider fulfilling their obligations and effectively withdraw Russian fertilizers and foodstuffs from sanctions,” the Russian Foreign Ministry said.
A few hours before this refusal, Moscow ensuring that these two events are not linked, a Ukrainian attack had damaged the important bridge linking Russia to Crimea, a Ukrainian peninsula annexed in 2014.
Considerable damage was caused to the road section of the bridge, which is used in particular to transport equipment to the Russian military, but “vehicle traffic has been restored in the opposite direction” on one lane of the bridge, said early Tuesday the Russian Deputy Prime Minister Marat Khousnullin on Telegram.
A source within the Ukrainian security services (SBU) told AFP on Monday that the attack, which killed two civilians driving by, was carried out by the Ukrainian navy and secret service using ” naval drones.
This is the second time that this 18 km bridge, built at great expense on the orders of Vladimir Putin shortly after the annexation and symbolizing in the eyes of the Kremlin the attachment of Crimea to Russia, has been attacked by Ukraine.
In October 2022, an explosion attributed by Moscow to a truck bomb had caused extensive damage and it had taken months of work to restore it fully to service.
Monday evening, Vladimir Putin said he was waiting for “concrete proposals to improve the security of this important and strategic transport infrastructure”, assuring that “there will of course be a response from Russia” to the attack.
On the front, the Ukrainian army has reported “intense” fighting over the past few days. The commander of the Ukrainian land forces, Oleksandre Syrsky, spoke on Tuesday on Telegram of a “difficult” but “under control” situation in the east of the country.