Ukraine has proposed to Russia a moratorium on attacks on civilian targets in the Black Sea. The proposal has been conveyed to Moscow through intermediaries, but Russia has not yet responded. According to Ukrainian authorities, Russian forces attacked at least 50 merchant ships in June and July. More than 30 civilians were killed.
The attacks targeted ships carrying grain from Ukrainian ports. Putini nuk mund të pretendojë më fitoren në Ukrainë, thotë fituesi i Çmimit Nobel për Paqe One of the deadliest incidents was the attack on the Golden Leo in July. A Russian missile struck the ship shortly after it left port. Ten people were killed, including a Ukrainian pilot. A week later, the ship sank.
Russia is using new high-precision weapons that make slow-moving cargo ships easy targets. According to Ukrainian port officials, this appears to be a systematic hunt for civilian ships. Millions of tons of Ukrainian grain are at risk.
The port of Odessa and two neighboring ports account for about 60 percent of Ukraine’s export revenue, which amounts to approximately $3.5 billion per month. Skynews notes that the attacks could disrupt global supplies of wheat, corn and barley. Ukraine, for its part, is attacking ships belonging to Russia’s so-called “shadow fleet.” /Telegraph