Despite an agreement to export grain, the Ukrainian port in Odessa was shelled on Saturday. After initially denying its missiles were involved, Moscow has now acknowledged that “military infrastructure” was the target.
Saturday’s attack came hours after the warring parties reached an agreement to allow grain exports, banning attacks on ports. According to Turkish information, Moscow initially said it had nothing to do with the attack, but Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said the attack used “high-precision” Kalibr weapons. She forgot to mention that in the agreement signed in Istanbul on Friday with Turkey and the UN mediation, Russia also committed itself not to attack the port of Odessa and two other Ukrainian ports in order to allow grain exports.
Zelenskyi: act of “blatant Russian barbarity”
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy harshly criticized the attacks, denouncing them as an act of “blatant Russian barbarity”. The beatings are another reason to give Ukraine such weapons “necessary for our victory,” the head of state said in his video message published Saturday night.
Zelenskyj explained that Russia had exposed itself politically with the missile strikes. “If anyone in the world has said before that it is necessary to enter into a dialogue with Russia, to agree on a ceasefire without liberating our territory from the occupiers, today’s missiles have destroyed the possibility of such statements,” he said.
Russia promised in the agreement on Friday that ships for export will be allowed to use a maritime corridor and not fire at them. The three ports concerned should therefore not be attacked. This includes the export of millions of tons of grain. The agreement, signed through the United Nations and Turkey, provides for export controls from a control center in Istanbul.
US Secretary of State questions Russia’s commitments
According to leading EU representatives, the US also sharply criticized Russia. Just a day after the agreement to export Ukrainian grain across the Black Sea, Russia broke its obligations, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Saturday (local time). “This attack casts serious doubts on the credibility of Russia’s commitment to yesterday’s agreement.”
Blinken said the shelling undermined the work of the United Nations, Turkey and Ukraine to bring essential food products to global markets. Russia bears the responsibility for worsening the global food crisis. Moscow has approved the grain export agreement and now has a duty to fully implement it.
Zelenskyj also explained in his video that the 150th day of the war was like many others. In addition to the rocket attacks, heavy fighting has taken place in the Donbass and in the Kharkov region. Yet it is also visible that Ukraine is on its way to victory. This is especially evident in the Kherson region to the south. “Ukraine’s armed forces are moving step by step in the area,” Zelenskyy said.
39,520 Russian soldiers have already fallen
The Ukrainian army said shelling continued in the north, south and east on Sunday. In the Donbass, Russian troops prepare an attack on the city of Bakhmut. According to the Ukrainian army, a total of 39,520 Russian soldiers were killed between February 24 and July 24. In addition, 1,722 Russian tanks, 3,942 armored fighting vehicles, 869 artillery systems, 255 anti-aircraft missile systems, 113 air defense units, 221 combat aircraft, 188 helicopters and 15 warships were destroyed, according to Ukraine’s Ukrinform news agency. These figures could not initially be independently confirmed.
Source: Krone
I’m Wayne Wickman, a professional journalist and author for Today Times Live. My specialty is covering global news and current events, offering readers a unique perspective on the world’s most pressing issues. I’m passionate about storytelling and helping people stay informed on the goings-on of our planet.
