Russia attacked the Black Sea trading port in Odessa, Ukraine on Saturday, less than a day after the two countries reached an agreement, brokered by Turkey, to export tons of grain to the world from Ukrainian ports.
Four Kalibr-type cruise missiles were launched towards the port, two were shot down before hitting, the city of Odessa announced.
The deal, which was also brokered by the United Nations, attempted to ameliorate global food shortages by allowing Ukraine’s ports, including the Black Sea trading port, to operate and ship grain around the world.
The conflict in Ukraine has led to a de facto blockade of Black Sea ports, preventing agricultural products from leaving the area. “Russia took less than 24 hours to launch a missile attack on the port of Odessa, breaking its promises and undermining its commitments to the UN and Turkey under the Istanbul agreement,” the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry spokesman tweeted. Oleg Nikolenko. “In case of non-compliance, Russia will bear full responsibility for the global food crisis.”
“This is not an attack on the port of Odessa. This is a blow to the whole world,” said the spokesman for the Odessa Regional Military Administration. He called on other nations to supply Ukraine with a “modern air defense and missile defense system.”
Ukraine’s President’s Chief of Staff Andrei Yermak criticized Russia for the “diplomatic dichotomy”, claiming that the country had not complied with the agreement. And he added: “The Russians are systematically creating a food crisis and doing everything to make people suffer. The famine terror continues. The world must act.”
US officials also weighed in on the attack, warning Russia for its actions and expressing support for Ukraine. “Outrageous,” tweeted US Ambassador to Ukraine Bridget A. Brink. “Russia attacks the port city of Odessa less than 24 hours after signing an agreement to allow shipments of agricultural exports.”
Turkey’s defense minister said on Saturday that Russian officials had told Ankara that Moscow “had nothing to do” with those attacks. “In our contact with Russia, the Russians told us that they had absolutely nothing to do with this attack and that they were examining the issue very closely and in detail,” Defense Minister Hulusai Akar said in a statement.
