Russia Attacks Ukraine Grain Port Near Romania

By Stefan J. Bos, Chief International Correspondent Worthy News

KYIV/MOSCOW (Worthy News) – Authorities said Wednesday that a Russian drone strike hit Ukrainian port facilities at Izmail on the River Danube, near Romania, a member of the NATO military alliance.

Wednesday’s strike added to concerns that Russia’s invasion of Ukraine would escalate into a broader armed conflict that could involve neighboring countries and complicate food deliveries to hungry nations.

Ukraine, a world breadbasket, said almost 40,000 tonnes of grain destined for African countries, China and Israel were damaged.

Romanian President Klaus Iohannis condemned Russia’s attacks on Ukrainian infrastructure “in the proximity of Romania” as “unacceptable.”

There were no immediate reports of casualties, but Ukrainian Minister Oleksandr Kubrakov said
“These are the very ports that have become the foundation of global food security today.”

Video footage from the Romanian side of the Danube, roughly 3 kilometers (1.9 miles) away, showed an extensive fire raging in the port area of Izmail early on Wednesday.

The attack in Ukraine, one of the world’s major exporters of wheat and corn, could impact over 50 million people across Somalia, Kenya, Ethiopia, and South Sudan who need food aid.

Several years of inadequate rains added to the misery of people living in the impoverished countries.

The United Nations said under the Black Sea Grain Initiative, Ukraine shipped 625,000 tonnes of food as humanitarian aid to Afghanistan, Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia, Sudan, and Yemen.

But with Russia pulling out of the accord, there are mounting concerns that millions may face starvation.

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