Russia Attacks 50 Cargo Ships, Choking Odesa Grain Exports
Updated
Updated · The New York Times · Aug 13
Russia Attacks 50 Cargo Ships, Choking Odesa Grain Exports
3 articles · Updated · The New York Times · Aug 13
Summary
At least 50 cargo ships were attacked in June and July, Ukrainian officials said, halting nearly all shipping in and out of Odesa just as Ukraine’s harvest season begins.
The strikes have killed more than 30 civilians and reflect a Russian campaign of precision attacks on slow-moving merchant vessels, which Ukrainian port officials described as deliberate hunting of civilian ships.
That blockade threatens global grain supplies because Ukraine is a major exporter of wheat, corn and barley, and Odesa is its main gateway to world markets.
A similar Russian port blockade in 2022 drove up food prices and put an estimated 70 million people at greater risk of acute food insecurity.
Moscow’s maritime offensive appears to answer Ukraine’s own campaign against Russian-linked tankers and cargo ships, including attacks that disrupted Sea of Azov shipping and left occupied Crimea short of fuel.