Ukraine accused Russia of firing missiles at its main grain-exporting port of Odesa on Saturday, a day after Moscow signed a deal allowing Kyiv to resume grain exports to try to ease a growing global food crisis.
Two Kalibr cruise missiles hit the port of Odesa and two more were shot down by Ukrainian air defenses, according to Serhiy Bratchuk, spokesman for Ukraine’s southern military command.
Videos posted on social media showed a large plume of smoke rising from the port. Oleksiy Honcharenko, a member of the Ukrainian parliament, wrote on the Telegram messaging app that at least six explosions were heard and an unspecified number of people were injured.
On Friday, Russia’s defense minister signed a deal brokered by the UN and Turkey agreeing to allow Kyiv to export millions of tonnes of grain from its Black Sea ports.
The Russian navy has blockaded Ukraine’s trade sea routes, launched missile attacks on its ports and grain storage infrastructure and attacked civilian grain-carrying ships since President Vladimir Putin ordered the large-scale invasion stop in Ukraine at the end of February.
Ukraine said Saturday’s strikes violated Russia’s promise not to attack its grain export infrastructure and cast doubt on the viability of Friday’s deal.
Oleg Nikolenko, a spokesman for Ukraine’s foreign ministry, said Russia “bears full responsibility for the deepening of the global food crisis” if it does not fulfill its promises not to attack the port. He accused Putin of “spitting[ting] in the face” of UN Secretary General António Guterres and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, who mediated the talks.
“Yesterday it was agreed to export grain by sea, and today the Russians arrive at the port of Odesa. This is the Russian diplomatic dichotomy,” Andriy Yermak, head of President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s administration, wrote on Twitter.
The agreement, which Guterres hailed as a “beacon of hope”, was the first major agreement reached between the two sides in the five-month conflict.
The blockade has choked off a crucial economic lifeline for Ukraine and left some 22 million tonnes of wheat, corn and other grains stuck in silos, with devastating effects on global food prices and poverty levels.
Up to 47 million people, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa, are at risk of acute hunger as a result of the conflict, according to the World Food Programme.
Guterres’ office issued a statement saying it “unequivocally condemns” the strikes, without directly blaming Russia.
“Yesterday, all parties made clear commitments on the world stage to ensure the safe movement of Ukrainian grain and related products on global markets,” the statement said.
“These products are desperately needed to address the global food crisis and alleviate the suffering of millions of people in need around the world. Full implementation by the Russian Federation, Ukraine and Turkey is imperative.”
Billionaire oligarch Roman Abramovich, who sold Chelsea Football Club in May after the UK and EU sanctioned him, attended the signing ceremony and played a key role in the deal, according to three people familiar with the matter. the matter
Abramovich helped facilitate peace talks between Russia and Ukraine with Putin’s blessing before they collapsed in April.
He visited Kyiv several times, where he met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, and has since played a role in exchanging prisoners and opening evacuation routes for civilians, according to people familiar with the matter
“He was the key to it all. He is one of the only people close to Putin that Ukrainians talk to,” one of the people said. A Ukrainian official said Abramovich’s role had become more prominent since that peace talks stalled in the spring.
“He is somehow part of the circle that deals with sensitive issues between Ukraine and Russia,” the official said. “He’s on the list of trusted people who can be in any conversation.”
Dmitri Peskov, Putin’s spokesman, denied that Abramovich had played a crucial role in the talks.
Elsewhere in Ukraine, officials in the port city of Mykolayiv reported on Saturday that they had been hit by six Russian projectiles. None of them affected port infrastructure and their facilities are not part of the agreement that was negotiated in Turkey.
The Kremlin, Turkey’s foreign ministry and a spokesman for Abramovich did not immediately respond to requests for comment.