Ukraine claims Russia targeted major port cityThe alleged attack did not damage grain storage at the facility, according to the Ukrainian military
Ukraine has claimed that Russia launched a cruise missile strike on the port of Odessa, a major trade hub in the country's southwest. The claim, made by the Ukrainian military and officials, comes a day after a UN-brokered deal to unblock the nation's grain exports was reached.
At least four cruise missiles were used to target the facility, a spokesman for the Odessa military administration, Sergey Bratchuk, said. Two of the projectiles were intercepted, while the two others hit the port’s infrastructure, he claimed.
Footage circulating online purports to show a plume of smoke rising above the port, as well as an object appearing to be a small boat on fire. Other images show an apparent explosion of an anti-aircraft rocket in the sky above the city.
Russia deliberately targeted the grain silos at the port, a spokeswoman for Ukraine’s ‘South’ command, Natalya Gumenyuk, claimed. Still, the grain storage was not damaged and the port did not sustain “significant damage.”
Moscow has so far remained silent on the latest claims from Kiev. Russia has repeatedly stated that it exclusively strikes military targets in the ongoing conflict, which broke out in late February.
Turkish Defense Minister Hulusi Akar said Ankara had discussed the incident with both Moscow and Kiev. “Russians told us that they had absolutely nothing to do with this attack and that they were examining the affair very closely and in detail,” Akar revealed.
Ukraine’s accusations come one day after representatives of Ukraine, Russia, the UN, and Turkey signed a deal to unblock exports of grain, food, and fertilizers from Ukrainian ports.
The “reported strikes” have already been “unequivocally” condemned by the UN. “Yesterday, all parties made clear commitments on the global stage to ensure the safe movement of Ukrainian grain and related products to global markets. These products are desperately needed to address the global food crisis and ease the suffering of millions of people in need around the globe,” Farhan Haq, a spokesman for UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said.
The EU has condemned the alleged strike as well, with the bloc’s top diplomat Josep Borrell taking to Twitter to call out Moscow.
“Striking a target crucial for grain export a day after the signature of Istanbul agreements is particularly reprehensible and again demonstrates Russia’s total disregard for international law and commitments,” Borrell asserted.
ウクライナ軍によると、攻撃とされる攻撃は施設の穀物保管庫に損害を与えなかったという。
ウクライナは、ロシアが同国南西部の主要貿易拠点であるオデッサ港に巡航ミサイルを発射したと主張している。この主張は、ウクライナ軍と政府関係者によってなされたもので、国連の仲介により同国の穀物輸出の停止を解除する合意が成立した翌日に行われた。
オデッサ軍政部のセルゲイ・ブラチュク報道官は、少なくとも4発の巡航ミサイルがこの施設を標的として使用されたと述べた。そのうち2発は迎撃され、残りの2発は港のインフラに命中したという。
ネットに流れた映像では、港の上空に煙が立ち昇り、小舟のようなものが燃えているように見えるとされている。また、上空で対空ロケットが爆発しているように見える画像もある。
ロシアは港の穀物サイロを意図的に狙ったと、ウクライナの「南」司令部のナターリア・グメニュク報道官は主張した。それでも、穀物倉庫は破損せず、港も "大きな被害 "を受けなかったという。
モスクワは今のところ、キエフからの最新の主張に対して沈黙を守っている。ロシアは、2月下旬に勃発した紛争において、軍事目標のみを攻撃していると繰り返し表明している。
トルコのフルシ・アカル国防相は、アンカラがモスクワとキエフの両方とこの事件について協議したと述べた。「ロシア側は、今回の攻撃とは全く無関係であり、この件を非常に綿密に調査していると述べた」とアカールは明らかにした。
ウクライナの非難は、ウクライナ、ロシア、国連、トルコの代表者が、ウクライナの港からの穀物、食料、肥料の輸出をブロックしないようにする協定に署名した翌日に行われた。
報告されているストライキ」は、すでに国連によって「明確に」非難されている。「昨日、すべての当事者は、ウクライナの穀物と関連製品の世界市場への安全な移動を確保するために、世界的な舞台で明確なコミットメントを行った。アントニオ・グテーレス国連事務総長の報道官であるファルハン・ハックは、「これらの製品は、世界の食糧危機に対処し、世界中で困っている何百万人もの人々の苦しみを和らげるために、どうしても必要です」と述べた。
EUもこのストライキを非難しており、EUのトップ外交官であるジョゼップ・ボレル氏はツイッターでモスクワを非難した。
ボレルは、「イスタンブール協定調印の翌日に穀物輸出に重要なターゲットを攻撃することは特に非難されるべきで、国際法と約束を完全に無視するロシアの姿勢を再び示すものだ」と主張した。
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Russia explains strike on major Ukrainian portMoscow says its missile attack on Odessa targeted military infrastructure
Russia says it hit a military target during a Saturday strike on the Ukrainian port city of Odessa. The attack came a day after the signing of a UN-brokered deal to unblock grain exports from Ukrainian ports.
“The Kalibr missiles destroyed part of the military infrastructure in the port of Odessa,” Russia’s Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova wrote on Telegram on Sunday.
The high-precision strike sent a Ukrainian military vessel to the bottom of the Black Sea, she added.
Zakharova was responding to comments by Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky, who described the attack as “barbarism” and claimed “Russian Kalibr missiles destroyed the very possibility of statements” on the need for dialogue and any agreements with Moscow.
The Russian Defense Ministry has yet to officially comment on the explosions that rocked Odessa, which is a major trade hub in the southwest of Ukraine. Throughout the conflict with Kiev, Moscow has insisted that it does not target civilians, only Ukraine’s armed forces and military infrastructure.
Turkey, which helped broker the agreement on releasing Ukraine’s grain supplies, said it has received assurances from the Russian military that “they had absolutely nothing to do with this attack and that they were examining the affair very closely and in detail.”
Kiev officials have claimed that four cruise missiles – two of which were intercepted – were used in the attack on Odessa. They allegedly targeted grain silos at the port, but failed to do significant damage.
Saturday’s incident came just a day after Russia and Ukraine, along with the UN and Turkey, signed a deal in Istanbul to unblock exports of grain, food, and fertilizers from Ukrainian ports that had been held up by the ongoing conflict.