A Russian drone strike has impacted port facilities in the Ukrainian town of Izmail along the River Danube, situated in close proximity to the NATO member state Romania.
The strike resulted in apparent damage to a grain warehouse, a passenger building, and a grain-loading elevator.
This attack follows Russia’s decision to target Ukraine’s ports after withdrawing from a United Nations agreement that had facilitated safe grain exports across the Black Sea.
A significant fire engulfed the Izmail port area early on Wednesday, with footage from the Romanian side of the Danube showing the extent of the blaze.
Romanian President Klaus Iohannis condemned Russia’s ongoing assaults on Ukrainian infrastructure near Romania as unacceptable.
Ukraine’s air force alerted that Russian drones were heading towards the Danube river, where the country operates two ports: Izmail and Reni.
Ukrainian air defenses were active for nearly three hours, according to the military command in the south.
Oleh Kiper, the leader of the Odesa region, reported that emergency services were responding to the site of the latest Russian attack, with no reports of casualties.
President Volodymyr Zelensky acknowledged the damage caused, and images shared on social media by the regional leader indicated the impact on several structures.
Ukraine’s defense ministry stated that an elevator was among the targets hit, while the Izmail prosecutor initiated an investigation into a damaged cargo terminal, warehouse, and elevator in the Odesa region.
In a similar incident last week, Russian drones targeted grain warehouses in Reni, further upstream along the Danube and near Romanian territory.
President Iohannis criticized these attacks in close proximity to Romania, considering them war crimes that hinder Ukraine’s ability to provide food to those in need worldwide.
Previously, Russia had also attacked the major Black Sea ports of Odesa and Chornomorsk, resulting in the destruction of 60,000 tonnes of grain.
Russia’s withdrawal from the grain deal in July included threats to target vessels bound for Ukraine’s Black Sea ports, effectively imposing a naval blockade. Despite this, ships have continued to travel to Ukraine’s ports on the Danube, which has grown in importance as an alternative.
Ukraine’s status as a significant exporter of wheat and corn has led to concerns about global food security, particularly for vulnerable nations in Africa and Asia.
In a separate incident, Russia launched over 10 drones against Ukraine’s capital, Kyiv, overnight, causing damage to non-residential buildings.
As of now, Russia has not publicly addressed the reported attacks.
Source – bbc.com
