Russia refused to extend a deal on July 17, 2023, to allow Ukrainian grain exports through the Black Sea, sparking outrage from the United Nations, which warned millions of the world’s poorest would “pay the price”. (File/AFP)
Metropolis Desk-
A day after backing out of a UN-backed agreement to allow Kyiv to export food, Russia attacked Ukrainian ports on Tuesday. Moscow claimed successes on the ground in a region where Ukrainian officials believed Russian forces were resuming the offensive.
In retaliation for Ukrainian seaborne drone assaults that destroyed its road bridge to the annexed Crimean Peninsula, Russia announced a wave of missile and drone attacks against Ukraine’s ports as “mass revenge strikes.”
A year-old UN-mediated food export agreement was terminated by Moscow shortly after the bridge was struck on Monday, a move the UN claimed ran the risk of causing hunger throughout the world.
According to Ukraine’s southern operational military command, many homes and unidentified port facilities were destroyed in Odesa, the key port for Russia, by falling debris and blast waves. Mykolaiv, a different port, reported a serious fire by local officials.
According to Andriy Yermak, the chairman of the Ukrainian presidential staff, the Russian strikes on ports are “further proof that the country-terrorist wants to endanger the lives of 400 million people in various countries that depend on Ukrainian food exports.”
Six Kalibr missiles and 31 out of 36 drones were alleged to have been shot down by the Ukrainian air force. For its part, Moscow said that it had stopped a drone attack by Ukraine on Crimea, preventing any significant damage to the area and that the Crimea bridge’s single lane of traffic had been reopened.
Russia is waging a ground offensive of its own in the northeast, six weeks after Ukraine launched a counteroffensive in the east and south.
The frontline railroad hub of Kupiansk, which was retaken by Ukraine in an attack last year, was within 2 kilometers of where Russia’s defense ministry reported that its soldiers had advanced. Russia was reportedly making a significant advance in the area, and Kyiv recognized intense fighting there. Reuters was unable to independently confirm the details.
Since the start of Ukraine’s counteroffensive last month, Kyiv has retaken a few villages in the south and the area around Bakhmut’s destroyed city in the east, but it has not yet attempted to make a significant advance through fiercely contested Russian lines.
One of the few diplomatic victories of the war, the Black Sea grain export agreement that was negotiated a year ago by Turkiye and the UN lifted a de facto Russian embargo of Ukrainian ports and averted a global food crisis.
Russia and Ukraine are two of the largest exporters of grains and other foods in the world. The world’s poorest nations would be severely hurt if Ukrainian grain was once more barred from the market.
According to UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, “Today’s decision by the Russian Federation will strike a blow to people in need everywhere.”
Russia claims it might rejoin the grain agreement, but only if limits governing its exports of food and fertilizer are relaxed. In the West, that is referred regarded as an effort to use food supply as leverage to lessen financial restrictions, which already allow for exceptions to allow Russia to sell food.
Volodymyr Zelensky, the president of Ukraine, has requested that the grain agreement go on without Russia’s involvement, essentially enlisting Turkey’s support to counter the Russian blockade. The deal’s promoter, Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan, asserts that he believes Moscow can be persuaded to return.
Without Russia’s assistance, any attempt to resume Ukrainian grain supplies would likely depend on insurance firms agreeing to give coverage. Reuters was informed by industry insiders that they are thinking about the ramifications.
The risk of trying to transport grain from Ukraine without Russian security guarantees, according to Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, who also claimed that Ukraine uses the seas for military purposes.
Since Kyiv began its counteroffensive last month, Moscow has rarely attempted to go back on the offensive, but Tuesday’s announcement that it had advanced around Kupiansk was a rare indication.
Despite a significant Russian winter push followed by Ukraine’s counterassault, both sides in Europe’s worst conflict since World War Two have suffered excruciating losses. Despite this, the front lines have only shifted a little since last November.
Hanna Maliar, the deputy defense minister for Ukraine, posted on Telegram, “The enemy has been actively on the offensive in the Kupiansk sector in the Kharkiv region for the past two days.”
“We’re protecting. There is fierce fighting going on, and both sides’ positions constantly shift throughout the day.
The commander of Ukraine’s ground forces, Oleksander Syrskyi, described the situation there as “complicated but under control.” According to Serhiy Cherevatyi, spokesman for the eastern coalition of Ukrainian forces, the Russian military has gathered more than 100,000 soldiers and more than 900 tanks in the region.
The Ukrainian counteroffensive has made some progress at Bakhmut and along two important axes in the south, but its assault force, which is armed with new Western weapons and ammunition valued at billions of dollars, has not yet come face to face with the main Russian defensive line.
To prevent large losses on strong defensive lines covered in land mines, Kyiv claims it is moving cautiously and is currently concentrating on undermining Russian supply and leadership. The Ukrainian counteroffensive, according to Moscow, has failed.
Source- Arab News
