Ukraine has launched a heavy assault on warships and major Russian grain export terminals in the Black Sea port city of Novorossiysk, prompting Russia to warn of a disruption to global food supplies.
Regional governor Veniamin Kondratyev said that three people were killed in the attack, including an eight-year-old, while another 24 were injured.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Wednesday described the operation against Novorossiysk as a success, saying that Kyiv launched a unique mix of long-range drones and weapons to target Russian fleet vessels in the bay area of the city.
Zelenskyy, who did not mention grain terminals, said Russia’s Admiral Essen and Admiral Makarov frigates, a large landing ship, a corvette, and other vessels were struck in the attack.
“Other Russian facilities that were helping finance the war were also struck. It is entirely fair that Ukraine responds to Russia’s war, and it is Russia that can and must end its war,” Zelenskyy said via X.
Two Russian grain trading companies said they had suffered damage from Ukraine’s attack, according to multiple media reports. Russia’s Agriculture Ministry said Wednesday that it was seeking to redirect cargo flows to ports in the Baltic and Caspian Seas as well as land routes.
Russia, the world’s largest wheat exporter, and Ukraine, also a major agricultural exporter, have been attacking each other’s export facilities and infrastructure in the Black Sea area in recent weeks, sending global wheat prices higher.
Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova accused Ukraine of seeking to “provoke chaos” on the global food market, saying this serves the interest of several Western countries, without providing further details.
This “exacerbates shortages of grain and fertilizers, drives up global food prices and increases the costs for countries in the Global South and East, which have become hostages to the irresponsible policies of these ‘players,'” Zakharova said, according to TASS news agency.
Agricultural consultancy SovEcon said earlier in the week that Russia appeared to be on track to export between 3 million and 3.4 million metric tons of wheat this month, far below the five-year August average of 5 million tons.
It said this could represent the lowest August total since the 2016-2017 agricultural season, noting that it follows a weak July.
Ukrainian exports, especially wheat, are known to be of critical importance to some Asian and African countries. From 2016 to 2021, before Russia’s full-scale invasion in early 2022, Asian and African countries received 92% of Ukraine’s wheat, according to data compiled by the European Union.
Russian forces have ramped up the number of missile strikes on Ukrainian cities in recent weeks, likely seeking to exploit Kyiv’s shortage of ballistic missile interceptors.
By CNBC