Russian missile strike on Ukraine’s Danube port disrupts grain exports

• Russia conducted a drone attack on Ukraine’s main inland port.
• Attack damaged buildings in the port and caused ships.
• Attacks led to a suspension of operations at the port.

Russia conducted a drone attack on Ukraine’s main inland port, located across the Danube River from Romania.

This action resulted in the destruction of buildings in the port of Izmail and caused ships heading there to load up with Ukrainian grain to come to a halt.

Nearly 40,000 tons of grain destined for countries in Africa, China, and Israel were damaged in the attacks, according to Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister Oleksandr Kubrakov.

President Volodymyr Zelenskiy referred to the attackers as “Russian terrorists” and highlighted the impact on global food security.

However, Russian state news agency RIA claimed that the port and grain infrastructure were housing foreign mercenaries and military hardware, though this could not be independently verified by Reuters.

The attacks led to a suspension of operations at the port, and dozens of international ships halted at the mouth of the Danube, waiting to enter Izmail in an attempt to break Russia’s blockade. The port is crucial for Ukraine’s grain exports, especially since Russia imposed a blockade on Ukraine’s Black Sea ports in mid-July.

As a result of the attacks, Chicago wheat prices rose significantly, and there are concerns about the potential impact on global supplies, given that Ukraine is a major grain exporter. Russia has been targeting Ukraine’s agricultural and port infrastructure for over two weeks in response to a Ukrainian strike on a bridge to Crimea.

President Vladimir Putin spoke with Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan regarding the grain export deal, with Putin reiterating Russia’s condition for rejoining the deal. The Kremlin wants a parallel deal to improve terms for its own food and fertilizer exports, which are already exempt from sanctions.

Ukraine alleges that the goal of Russia’s attacks is to persuade shippers and insurance companies that Ukrainian ports are unsafe for exports, aiming to reimpose a blockade. This has already affected producers in Ukraine, with one farmer unable to deliver 700 tons of contracted barley.

The situation has raised concerns about a potential food crisis in the world’s poorest countries, and the United Nations has warned about the consequences of Russia’s decision to abandon the grain deal.

Moscow has declared ships heading to Ukrainian seaports as potential military targets and has struck numerous port facilities, civilian vessels, and a substantial amount of grain in the past nine days since exiting the grain deal.

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