Russian bombing has shut down Ukraine's Black Sea ports, halting grain exports that once fed 300 million people in 70 countries. Attacks on Odesa's ports and…
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Source: Financial Times
A Russian bombing campaign has closed Ukraine's Black Sea ports, stranding millions of tons of grain and dealt a devastating blow to the country's economy.
According to the Financial Times, the attacks on Odesa in south-western Ukraine have shut down the three major Black Sea ports that were handling 350 vessels a month, even during wartime. Russia has ramped up its attacks over the past three months using missiles and jet-powered drones to target substations, warehouses, and ports.
Ukraine used to export its agricultural products to 300 million people in 70 countries. That supply chain now lies in ruins. Grain, winter wheat, corn, lentils, and barley are piling up in barns across the country with a dire risk they will start rotting.
The only alternative route to market for farmers is overland transport, which the report describes as ruinously expensive. One farmer, Volodymyr, showed reporters a rocket he found in his fields. He has worked the land since the 1970s, when it was part of the Soviet Union, but says the farm and many others cannot survive much longer.
Last winter, Russia struck half the big electricity substations in the region, disrupting heating, water, and communications. Local air defence units are struggling to keep up with the relentless drone strikes. In the first three weeks of September alone, one unit shot down more than 150 Russian Shahed and Gerbera drones, but the commander said only a 100% success rate would count as winning.