More than 100 thousand tons of agricultural products destroyed due to Russian attacks on Odesa region ports

Russian shelling damaged more than 300 port infrastructure facilities, including more than 100,000 tons of agricultural products.

This information was announced during a briefing on the work of the maritime corridor, which was held with the participation of ministers from the Nordic-Baltic Eight countries.

Timur Tkachenko, Deputy Minister of Communities and Territories Development of Ukraine, emphasized the importance of stable operation of the sea corridor.

"Since the beginning of the full-scale invasion, we have suffered more than 50 attacks on port infrastructure, which has damaged more than 300 facilities and destroyed more than 100 thousand tons of agricultural products. Despite this, the corridor continues to function thanks to the coordinated work of government agencies and private operators," said Tkachenko.

He also noted that the maritime corridor continues to operate thanks to the coordinated efforts of government agencies and private operators.

The Head of the Ukrainian Sea Ports Authority, Yuriy Lytvyn, added that Ukrainian ports are functioning despite the constant threat. Since August 2023, more than 2,800 vessels have visited Ukrainian ports, and 76 million tons of cargo have been handled.

Last week, the Russian army again began regularly launching missile strikes on the port infrastructure of Odesa region, killing more than ten port workers and damaging foreign merchant ships. Such attacks not only threaten the lives of civilians, but also jeopardize the functioning of the grain corridor, as the Ukrainian authorities have warned.

EU representative Peter Stano called for increased pressure on Russia to stop the missile attacks. After all, stopping shipping in the Black Sea and stopping grain exports could have consequences not only for Ukraine but also cause food crises in vulnerable regions of the world.

Russian occupants have attacked civilian vessels in Odesa region ports three times.

In particular, on the evening of October 9, a civilian vessel flying the Panamanian flag, the container ship Shui Spirit, was damaged during the attack.

Prior to that, Russia attacked a civilian vessel in the ports of Odesa region. A ballistic missile damaged the Palau-flagged OPTIMA vessel. One person died as a result of the enemy attack. Five other foreign nationals, crew members, were injured.

The day before, on October 6, Russians fired on the civilian shipPARESA flying the flag of St. Kitts and Nevis, which was loaded with corn for export. It happened near one of the berths in the Pivdennyi seaport.

Ірина Глухова