KYIV: Russia damaged almost 40,000 tonnes of grain in an overnight strike on southern Ukrainian ports near the Danube river, Kyiv’s infrastructure minister said on Wednesday.

“The Russians attacked warehouses and grain elevators — almost 40,000 tonnes of grain were damaged,” Minister Oleksandr Kubrakov said in an English-language post on social media.

Kubrakov added that the grain was destined for some African countries, China and Israel, and accused Russia of using Iranian drones to carry out the attack.

“These are the very ports that have become the foundation of global food security today,” he said.

The port, across the river from Nato-member Romania, is the main alternative route out of Ukraine for grain exports, since Russia’s blockade halted traffic at Ukraine’s Black Sea ports in mid-July.

Video released by the Ukrainian authorities showed firefighters on ladders battling a huge blaze several stories high in a building covered with broken windows.

Several other large buildings were in ruins, and grain spilled out of at least two wrecked silos.

Putin-Erdogan talks President Tayyip Erdogan emphasised the importance of avoiding steps that could jeopardise the resumption of the Black Sea grain initiative in talks with Putin on Wednesday, Erdogan’s office said.

The Kremlin said Putin reiterated Russia’s condition for re-joining the grain deal: that a parallel deal improving terms for its own food and fertiliser exports be implemented.

Those exports are already exempt from sanctions, which the West says Moscow aims to undermine by threatening the global food supply.

Published in Dawn, August 3rd, 2023