The Russian drone strike hit the port infrastructure of Reni, on the Danube River near Romania, injuring at least two people. According to the southern military command of Ukraine, he appeared on Sunday, September 3. The Danube is a strategic target because it has become the main grain export route from Ukraine after Russia withdrew from the UN-brokered deal that allowed Kiev to transport its grain across the Black Sea.
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The Ukrainian Air Force claimed to have shot down 22 of 25 Iranian-made Shahed drones launched by Russia in the early hours of Sunday, September 3, in the Odessa region, near the border with Romania, a NATO member country.
Tonight the Russian Aerospace Force launched a massive drone attack against fuel warehouses in the port of Reni in the Odesa region, used to supply the war equipment of the Ukrainian Army, said the spokesman for the Russian military department, Igor Konashenkov.
The fuel depots of the Ukrainian army are located in the port of Reni, in the Odessa region, north-east of the delta of the Danube, border between Romania and Ukraine.
This time, the attack caused a fire, which was quickly extinguished, in a port infrastructure, but two people were injured, as announced by the spokesman for the Ukrainian military administration of Odessa, Serhi Bratchuk. For its part, Moscow reported having “achieved” all the objectives of the attack, according to the Defense Ministry.
The Romanian Ministry of Defense has spoken out and condemned the attacks near its border. He reaffirmed in a statement: “In the strongest possible terms that these attacks against civilian targets and infrastructure in Ukraine are unjustified and in deep contradiction with the norms of international humanitarian law.”
Moldovan President Maia Sandu also condemned the Russian attack near her territory.
I strongly condemn Russia’s brutal attack on port infrastructure in Odessa region. Russia must be held accountable for every piece of infrastructure destroyed. My thoughts are with all those affected. Moldova stands firmly with Ukraine.
— Maia Sandu (@sandumaiamd) September 3, 2023
The Danube as a new Russian target
In recent weeks, attacks have multiplied against Reni and Izmail, the two main Ukrainian ports on the Danube, a river that is Ukraine’s main grain export route since Russia abandoned the agreement that allowed its exports through the sea. Black.
Russian terrorists continue to attack port infrastructure in the hope of causing a world food crisis and famine, Ukrainian President Andriy Yermak’s chief of staff wrote on Telegram.
On July 17, Russia withdrew from a year-old agreement brokered by the UN and Turkey that allowed for safe exports of Ukrainian cereals and grains through the Black Sea, with the aim of alleviating the world food crisis.
Türkiye will try to revive the agreement
Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Turkish counterpart Tayyip Erdogan are expected to hold talks in the Russian Black Sea city of Sochi on Monday.
Turkey wants to revive the Ukrainian grain export deal, so their meeting should focus on this issue and on international payment systems like Swift, which are also a hot spot of the deal debate, said Akif Cagatay Kilic, adviser to Erdogan’s foreign policy, in an interview on the Turkish television channel A Haber.
The current situation (of the grain agreement) will be discussed at the summit on Monday. We are prudent, but we hope to succeed because this is a situation that affects everyone… we play a leading role in this matter. We see strong support from all over the world for the realization of the grain corridor, said Akif Cagatay Kilic.
According to Moscow, its food and fertilizer exports were hampered by the deal, and not enough Ukrainian grain was reaching countries in need.
With Reuters, AFP and EFE
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