MOSCOW/KYIV: Russia warned Wednesday that attacks on its grain and agricultural infrastructure were worsening global food shortages and could drive food prices higher, as Moscow and Kyiv traded strikes on key ports and export facilities on both sides of the Black Sea.
Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova accused Ukraine of seeking to disrupt the global food market after a wave of Ukrainian strikes on Russia’s Black Sea port of Novorossiysk killed three people, including a child, and forced major grain terminals to halt operations.
Zakharova said the attacks were exacerbating shortages of grain and fertilizers and increasing pressure on countries in the Global South and East.
Ukraine has this summer stepped up attacks on Russian economic infrastructure that it says supports Moscow’s war effort, including agricultural export facilities.
Hours after the Russian accusations, local Ukrainian authorities said Russian forces struck the Izmail port area in the southern Odesa region overnight, causing damage and fires.
Izmail, near Ukraine’s border with Romania, is the country’s largest Danube port and handles grain and other commodities. The port has become increasingly important for Ukrainian exports since Russia’s invasion disrupted traditional Black Sea shipping routes.
The escalating attacks have raised concerns about further disruption to global grain supplies. Ukraine’s agriculture ministry said grain shipments fell 76% in the first two weeks of August compared with the same period a year earlier.
Grain futures rose sharply Wednesday after the Ukrainian strikes on Novorossiysk, underscoring market concerns over the security of supplies.
Russia is the world’s largest wheat exporter, while Ukraine is also a major grain supplier. Russian attacks on Ukrainian ships and port infrastructure in the Black Sea have already severely reduced Ukraine’s maritime grain shipments.
The latest strikes threaten to further disrupt agricultural exports at a time when both countries remain major suppliers to international markets, potentially increasing price pressures on import-dependent countries.
• With AFP and Reuters
