Russian missiles destroy grain warehouse in Ukraine's Odesa region

(Patria) - Russian missiles hit the port of Pivdennyi in southeastern Ukraine's Odesa region yesterday, destroying storage facilities and the food inside, President Volodymyr Zelensky and other officials said.

- They struck the seaport of Pivdennyi. Several missiles hit port facilities, not only Ukrainian ones but also those of Singapore - Zelensky said in his virtual address to the NATO-Ukraine Council.

Ukraine's Ministry of Restoration said on Telegram that the strike "destroyed warehouses and agricultural goods that were intended for export to Asia and Africa".

The regional governor stated that one person was injured in the attack, while Ukraine's southern military command reported that the attack caused fires.

Local Telegram channels shared footage of thick black smoke rising from the attack site.

Zelensky wrote on X that the attack was "part of a deliberate Russian strategy" to harm Ukraine and countries that rely on food exports.

"Dear partners of the Global South, this is the true Russian attitude towards you, your food security and your well-being. Russia is willing to harm people in your countries to achieve its abnormal goal of destroying our country at any cost," Zelensky added.

Ukraine has been appealing for months to countries in Africa, South America and Asia, with which Russia has longer-standing relations, to more firmly support Kyiv's position.

Ukrainian port infrastructure has been under frequent Russian attacks since Russia withdrew last summer from the UN-brokered agreement that guaranteed safe exports of Ukrainian grain.

Kyiv has since established its own maritime corridor.

Russia has also recently been increasingly using ballistic missiles, which are harder to intercept, for attacks on Ukraine's southern regions.