Another Russian drone strike has hit port and industrial facilities in the south of Ukraine's Odesa region on the Black Sea, starting fires, Ukrainian authorities have annnounced on Wednesday (2 August).
Regional head Oleh Kiper said that a grain silo had been damaged, but did not give any further details. He said that emergency services were working on the site and did not report any casualties.
Before the drone hit, the Ukrainian air force said that Russian drones were heading towards Izmail, a key Ukrainian port on the Danube river.
Russia began targeting Ukrainian ports after it withdrew from a deal in which it had agreed to allow Ukrainian grain exports via the Black Sea.
Russia's withdrawal from the deal and threats to target Ukrainian vessels heading to and from their home ports imposed a de facto naval blockade on Ukraine, increasing the importance of Ukraine's only other export route over water, the Danube.
In July, Russia destroyed grain storage infrastructure in Reni, another major Ukrainian port on the Danube and only 200m away from NATO member state, Romania.
Wheat prices spiked on world markets immediately after the Russian withdrawal from the grain deal, and there are now also concerns about global food security, especially for impoverished African and Asian nations.
