Zelensky confirms that Russian strikes have once again hit Ukrainian ports overnight

Ukraine’s President, Volodymyr Zelensky, affirmed on Wednesday (August 16) that Russian airstrikes have once more targeted Ukrainian ports overnight.

The most recent attack, according to the news agency Reuters, occurred exactly one month after Moscow withdrew from the Black Sea Grain Initiative.

During a televised speech, Zelensky revealed that this assault constitutes the seventh “significant Russian attack” within “just a month” since Moscow’s exit from the UN-backed agreement that allowed Kyiv to export grains.

Zelensky stated, “Last night, Russian terrorists once again deliberately targeted our ports. They struck the infrastructure crucial for ensuring not only our own but global food security as well.”

The Ukrainian President highlighted that the targets included Port Reni, Port Izmail, Port Pivdennyi, Port Odesa, Port Chornomorsk, and Mykolaiv. Each Russian strike, he emphasized, affects world food prices and disrupts social and political stability across continents like Africa and Asia. He underscored that these fundamental elements are essential for a normal life in societies, including putting food on tables in households.

Zelensky added, “No other terrorist organization in the world, except Russia, has ever openly and intentionally threatened the security of multiple nations simultaneously.”

Zelensky’s statement coincides with the condemnation of ongoing attacks by the United States, which announced efforts to identify alternative routes to ensure Ukrainian grain exports. The US also criticized Russian President Vladimir Putin for disregarding global food security.

Speaking at a press briefing, Vedant Patel, the deputy spokesperson of the US State Department, stated that they were exploring “ways and corridors in which we can continue to get grain to the places it needs to go.”

Patel added, “The United States … calls for Russia to immediately return to the Black Sea Grain Initiative,” noting that “Putin simply does not care about global food security.”

Since Russia’s withdrawal from the grain initiative on July 17th, reports indicate that the country has conducted regular airstrikes on Ukrainian ports and grain storage facilities. The tension escalation has prompted Moscow to even threaten treating ships departing from Ukraine as potential military targets.