Russia targets Ukrainian port infrastructure as WFP warns of wheat shortages

The Russian military struck port infrastructure in the Ukrainian Black Sea city of Odesa on Tuesday evening, according to the regional governor, Oleh Kiper. He said on Telegram that no one was injured.

The assault is part of a broader pattern of attacks on vital port infrastructure in southern Ukraine, which have intensified since Moscow withdrew from the UN-backed Black Sea Grain Initiative in July.

The latest bombardment came as the UN World Food Programme warned that, if Russian attacks on export routes continue, Ukraine could struggle to meet domestic and foreign demand for wheat.

According to the World Food Programme, there have been more than 30 documented attacks on Ukraine’s grain production and export facilities in the past four months.

Russia claims it only targets military installations. It also maintains that its agricultural exports, including exports of fertilizers, are being impeded by Western sanctions – a complaint that prompted it to leave the Black Sea Grain deal.