Russia continues campaign against Ukrainian ports

Russian missiles hit agricultural storage facilities near Odesa, Ukraine, on Thursday night. It was the fourth consecutive night of attacks on the Odesa region. The Russian Defense Ministry described its strikes on Odesa as “retaliatory,” referring to an attack by Ukrainian drone boats on a bridge connecting Russia to Crimea.

Why is Russia really targeting Odesa? On Monday, Moscow quit a grain export deal that guaranteed the safety of ships entering Ukrainian ports. For the last year, the deal allowed the export of over 32 million tons of Ukrainian grain to countries facing food shortages, such as Afghanistan and Sudan. On Wednesday, Moscow said it would consider cargo ships traveling through the Black Sea as potential military targets.

Dig deeper: Read a report in WORLD Magazine by WORLD Journalism Institute graduates about how the war in Ukraine has raised food and fuel prices in the United States.