Russian Attacks Damage 321 Port Facilities In Ukraine, Threatening Global Food Supply

The ongoing instability caused by the Russia-Ukraine war has severely impacted and damaged the assets of both nations. Since July 2023, Russian drone and missile attacks have damaged 321 port facilities in Ukraine, according to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

The attacks have also damaged more than 20 merchant ships from other countries, which has raised global concerns about food security.

During the recent Grain from Ukraine summit in Kyiv, Zelenskyy said that Ukrainian food exports feed 400 million people in 100 countries, adding that countries like Egypt, Libya and Nigeria are directly affected by these disruptions, which have increased food prices and worsened hunger in the already vulnerable regions.

Before the war, Ukraine, also called the Breadbasket of Europe, exported around 6 million tons of grain monthly through its Black Sea ports.

However, Russia’s invasion in February 2022 led to a blockade that triggered a global food crisis. The UN-mediated Black Sea Grain Initiative in July 2022 resulted in a brief solution. Still, Russia withdrew from the agreement a year later, citing unmet conditions linked to its own grain and fertilizer exports.

Since then, Ukraine has managed to export grain through a new corridor that passes through the waters of Bulgaria, Romania and Turkey.

Despite the continuous attacks, Ukraine’s determination has kept the supply moving. By mid-November 2024, the country had already shipped nearly 16 million tons of grain, a sharp spike from 11 million tons during the same period the previous year.

The total exports for the year 2023-24 season reached 51 million tons, an increase from 49.2 million tons the year before.

International leaders have stressed the extent of the consequences of these attacks. Czech Foreign Minister Jan Lipavsky said that the destruction of Ukraine’s ability to export grains means that millions of people are left hungry, adding that the war between the two nations is a global issue and it demands a global response.

Alar Karis, President of Estonia, says Russia’s war is also against those who lack food.

On the other hand, the foreign minister of Ukraine, Andrii Sybiha, recalled and compared the Holodomor- a man-made famine also known as the Terror famine from 1932-33 in Soviet Ukraine that killed millions of Ukrainians. It affected the major grain-producing areas of the Soviet Union.

Though the stats vary for the estimated death toll, a joint statement to the UN signed by 25 countries in 2003 revealed that about 7 to 10 million innocent people died.

The discussion of the famine in public was banned in the Soviet Union until the Glasnost period, which focused on transparency and openness in government policies and freedom of information. The Glasnost period was initiated in the 1980s by Mikhail Gorbachev.

Putin has weaponized famine, just as Stalin did, Sybiha said.

Despite these constant hurdles, Ukraine is committed to ensuring global food security. The Grain from Ukraine initiative, launched in 2022, continues to deliver essential food aid and counter Russian misinformation.

Since the summer of 2023, over 80 million tons of cargo, including more than 53 million tons of agricultural products, have been exported through Ukraine’s maritime corridor.

Zelenskyy shared on his X handle (formerly Twitter) that “Together, we can build a more resilient and prosperous future, ensuring that no one is left behind in the fight against hunger. By strengthening trade ties, we can foster a world where food security is not a privilege but a universal right.”

References: Reuters, Euro News

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