Russia Continues Fourth Day of Attacks on Ukrainian Food Export Facilities amid Escalating Tensions

Summary:

• Russia launches consecutive attacks on Ukrainian food export facilities for four days.
• Tensions escalate with Ukraine's defiance of Russia's naval blockade on grain export ports.
• Western leaders view the attacks as an attempt by Russia to evade sanctions and cause a global food crisis.
• Russia claims the attacks are in retaliation for a Ukrainian strike on a Russian-built bridge to Crimea.
• Concerns rise over the safety of civilian shipping in the Black Sea region.
• Escalations continue as Poland reinforces its border amid Russia's presence in Belarus.

Russia attacked Ukrainian food export facilities for a fourth day in a row on Friday and practiced seizing ships in the Black Sea. Emergency's ministry photos of the aftermath show fires burning and crumpled buildings that look to be storehouses. The strikes follow a vow by Kiev to defy Russia's naval blockade on its grain export ports after Moscow's withdrawal from a UN-brokered safe-seek corridor agreement earlier in the week. Western leaders believe this escalation is part of an attempt by Russia to evade and loosen sanctions over its invasion of Ukraine by threatening a global food crisis. Moscow claims the attacks are revenge for a Ukrainian strike on a Russian-built bridge to Crimea, the peninsula illegally annexed by Moscow in 2014. Meanwhile, Russia's defense ministry's Black Sea fleet practiced firing rockets at, quote, floating targets and apprehending ships. As part of a two-vessel strike unit in the Black Sea, we performed drills of a missile strike against a simulated enemy.

The combat drill deployed a cruise missile. The strike was successful. The simulated enemy was destroyed. Russia said it would deem all ships heading for Ukrainian waters to be potentially carrying weapons from Thursday. Washington believes this means they might attack civilian shipping. Moscow's ambassador to Washington denies any plan to attack ships. The attacks and perceived threat to shipping drove up prices of benchmark Chicago wheat futures towards their biggest weekly gain since the invasion, and traders are also worried about supply. Moscow says it will not participate in the year-old grain deal without better terms for its own food and fertilizer sales. Escalations continued elsewhere too on Friday. A Polish broadcaster reported that a military reconnaissance drone of unspecified origins crashed near a base in the southwest of the country earlier this week. NATO member Poland has been reinforcing its border with Belarus, where Russia's Wagner mercenary force has taken up residency after a failed mutiny last month. Those living in villages near Poland's border with Belarus said they were fearful, having heard military exercises the day before. Belarus' defense ministry said mercenaries from Russia's Wagner Group had begun training Belarusian special forces just a few miles from the border.

The situation remains tense as Russia's actions draw international concern and have significant implications for global food security and trade.