Russian strikes were reported in the Ukrainian port city of Izmail, which is on a section of the Danube River that acts as a border between Ukraine and NATO member Romania.
Ukrainian officials said Izmail was attacked with drones. They said fires broke out at port and industrial facilities, and a grain elevator was damaged. Russia’s RIA news agency cited sources who reported similar damage and added that a facility housing foreign mercenaries was also hit.
Russian strikes so close to Romania run the risk of Russian drones or Ukrainian air defense missiles landing in NATO territory. In November 2022, when a Ukrainian missile landed in Poland, Ukrainian officials claimed it was Russian in an effort to get NATO to intervene directly against Russia.
Russia has been targeting Ukraine’s ports on the Danube and elsewhere since withdrawing from the Black Sea grain deal. Russian officials have said that the uptick in strikes in the region was a response to the latest bombing of the Crimean Bridge, which connects Crimea to the Russian mainland.
“Russian terrorists have once again targeted ports, grain facilities and global food security,” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky wrote on Telegram on Wednesday. “The world must respond.”
The grain deal facilitated the export of grain out of Ukrainian ports, but Russia chose not to extend the agreement because it wasn’t satisfied with UN and Western efforts to make it easier to ship Russian agricultural goods, which was another aspect of the deal. Moscow said it would restore the grain deal if its conditions were met. One of Russia’s main demands is reconnecting the Russian Agricultural Bank to the SWIFT payment system.
This hit on the Izmail facility should end the plan for UA to ship its grain by barge to Croatia. Until the logistics are worked out to ship from a Baltic port, UA now has to rely on truck or rail..
Other web sites were reporting a few “blockade breaking” ships, one of them Israeli, that just went to these Danube ports.
This strike seems to be a reply to that.
Looks like the Israeli ship was all dressed up with nowhere to go.
Agreed. I heard the same. I’m confident it was on a peace mission, bringing supplies like Israeli toy missiles and fake drones for Ukraine’s bored children. No way this ship is poking Putin in the eye with its flag pole, while choking his neck in the Anker line from his “old friend” Satanyahu. (Sarcasm)
Escalation has happened, and it no longer matters if Russian or US / NATO / Ukrainian bombs land in NATO terrotory.
Drones hitting Moscow and cluster bomb usage by both sides is enough already. More outrage will ensue and be manufactured. Reports of the other side intentionally killing civilians will continue.
As Lula said, we are past the point of no return.
Time to cut off supply lines from NATO it appears.
I wonder what was being delivered through that area that is now under attack?
It isn’t just foodstuffs.
Ukraine was using ships in the grain deal to transport ammunition.
They also used the protected routes to launch attacks on Crimea with sea drones and air drones. They have a fanatical obsession with Crimea, which they hate for doing much better economically than Ukraine where the economy sank after the Biden-sponsored coup in 2014. Crimea is also beautiful, a vacation resort, and the Ukrainians can’t stand that. So they’ll use drones to attack Crimea any chance they get. The only reason we don’t see thousands of Crimean civilians killed, like in Donbass, is because Crimea has very extensive air defenses.
Russia “wasn’t satisfied” with Western “efforts”. The U.S. didn’t uphold its end of the deal. Russia was supposed to be reconnected to SWIFT and Biden’s party simply ignored that. They could at any time have reconnected Russia to SWIFT and lifted sanctions on Russian grains, but they didn’t.
“Ukraine was using ships in the grain deal to transport ammunition.
They also used the protected routes to launch attacks on Crimea with sea drones and air drones. ”
And only you and Russia have all the evidence for that claim.
“Ukraine was using ships in the grain deal to transport ammunition. They also used the protected routes to launch attacks on Crimea with sea drones and air drones.” EXACTLY!
FJB
“The world must respond.” …. Our Commander of the United Forces of Earth says this. Therefore, we must treat the supreme commander’s statement with all the seriousness it d es erve s ………………
Russia has said that the west obstructed the grain deal by sanctioning companies that insure Russian ships and by refusing access to SWIFT. Ukraine was able to make money, but Russia wasn’t. Now Ukraine can’t make money either. That means Biden will have to push up his timetable to gift Ukraine with more money to keep its government running.
Russia’s idea of providing free grain to Africa is causing problems for European middlemen who evidently inserted themselves into the supply chain. They are said to have been purchasing grain from Ukraine, marking it up, and shipping it to Africa. But who would buy their grain when Russia provides it free of charge?
Sorry, but this article is misleading in its explanation of the shortcomings of the grain deal. The US is solely responsible for violating the spirit and substance of the deal in its lust to further punish the Russians.
The underhandedness and the hatred and vitriol of uncle Sam in his lust for global control is unbounded – and clear to anyone who has half a brain.