Please enable JS and disable any ad blocker Russian forces attacked the Izmail district of the Odesa region using strike drones This was reported on Telegram by Oleg Kiper head of the Odesa Regional State Administration the enemy targeted the Izmail district with strike drones Our air defense forces were actively engaged The Russians aimed at port infrastructure," Kiper noted There is damage to building facades and a residential house All relevant services are working at the scene and law enforcement is documenting the consequences The Ukrainian Danube Shipping Company (UDP) is starting an auction to sell its six antiquated ocean-going vessels that used to operate on the Black Sea The company called it a “painful but the only right decision,” as its focus is on shipping from the river ports on the Danube and Dnieper The company posted online last week an auction for six Izmail-type cargo vessels with the auction set to begin on December 13 The six vessels are being offered as a single lot even though only two are currently in operating condition A minimum bid of approximately $10.6 million was set for the vessels with an approximately $500,000 guarantee also due “We must get rid of unprofitable non-core assets and direct resources to modernizing the river fleet,” UDP said announcing its plans for the auction “It is in the segment of river freight transportation that shipping companies have development prospects.” The change in condition is also symptomatic of the economics in the bulk market since the ports in the Odesa region have reopened the company said They said after the blockade of Odesa was lifted freight rates collapsed with many private companies able to operate at lower rates than the state company were built in Portugal between 1992 and 1993 Each is 3,700 DWT with two large holds able to operate from the river ports and the seaports the vessels were operating on bareboat charters but they were returned to Ukraine with a government mandate to move grain and other cargo and rates high with the seaports blocked UDP reports it was economical to start the refurbishment of the vessels Work was completed on Vylkovo and Izmail and planned for Reny but when freight rates collapsed the restoration of the vessels became uneconomical Four of the vessels need restoration with Ukraine's hope that all will be put back into service by a private operator (UDP) “We analyzed and worked out all possible options We considered proposals for transferring vessels to time charter the income from the charter will not cover the future costs of maintaining and repairing the vessels This is a clearly unprofitable project for the state,” reports UDP It says it is spending money to keep the ships laid up They will also now face additional certification requirements and costs due to their age.  Russian drones attacked the southwestern Ukrainian port city of Izmail for a second night claiming several Russian aircraft entered Romanian airspace Moscow has regularly targeted ports in the southern Odesa region since it backed out of an agreement last year that allowed Ukraine to export grain via the Black Sea said "port infrastructure facilities were damaged" during Russia's attack and that two civilians were injured The Ukrainian air force said Moscow deployed 38 Iranian-designed attack drones with air defense systems dowing 25 of them "Another three Shaheds were lost after crossing the state border with Romania," it said said the attack also damaged an administrative building Three people were injured in a similar Russian attack on Izmail the day before Romania's military carried out a search for drone debris near the border with Ukraine following the attack on Wednesday and Romanians living near the border reported hearing explosions Russia's Prosecutor General's Office has designated The Moscow Times as an "undesirable" organization criminalizing our work and putting our staff at risk of prosecution This follows our earlier unjust labeling as a "foreign agent." These actions are direct attempts to silence independent journalism in Russia The authorities claim our work "discredits the decisions of the Russian leadership." We see things differently: we strive to provide accurate We, the journalists of The Moscow Times, refuse to be silenced. But to continue our work, we need your help please support us monthly starting from just $2 and every contribution makes a significant impact independent journalism in the face of repression Last night, on January 17, Russians attacked the Izmail district of the Odesa region with drones during an air attack. The target of the attack was the local port infrastructure, according to the head of the Odesa Regional Military Administration, Oleh Kiper. Ukrainian air defense forces and means continued to work hard in the region to repel the Russian attack The head of the Odesa Regional Military Administration noted that there were no fatalities and no injuries in the Izmail district amid the Russian drone strike “Russian shelling damaged the facades of buildings and a residential building,” he said The official also said all relevant services are working at the scene “Law enforcement officers are recording the consequences of another Russian terrorist attack on the civilian population of the Odesa region,” the head of the administration said Russian troops launched several groups of attack drones into Ukraine for another air attack wrote on his Telegram about the work of air defense due to Russian drones monitoring channels reported explosions near the cities of Izmail and Kiliia a Russian requiring air defense was detected in the Kyiv region In the Kyiv region, a child was injured in one of the settlements due to the fall of the wreckage of downed Russian drones A fire also broke out in a cafe shop and an attached boiler room over an area of almost 200 square meters the Russian army launched a second attack on the Izmail district in the Odesіa region The attack caused damage to a hospital and private homes Oleg Kiper, the head of the Odesa regional military administration, reported this on Telegram He said that the attack on the district took place at dawn and air defense forces worked to destroy the enemy drones with windows blown out and damage to the facade and ceiling "All relevant services are working at the site Law enforcement is documenting the aftermath of another terrorist act by the Russians against the civilian population of the Odesіa region," Kiper wrote either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content Romania sent F-16 fighter jets to the border with Ukraine early on Wednesday after Russia launched drone attacks close to the NATO country's territory Russia's military "carried out a new series of drone attacks" in Ukraine near the border with Romania Bucharest's ministry of national defense said in a statement Two Romanian Air Force F-16 fighter jets took off from a military base in southeastern Romania at 2:19 a.m local time on Wednesday to "monitor the aerial situation," returning to their base about two hours later Romanian teams are searching for "possible objects" on Romania's side of the border around the village of Plauru Plauru is across the border from the Ukrainian port town of Izmail Local authorities in Izmail said early on Wednesday that Russia had carried out a "massive attack" using Iranian-designed Shahed kamikaze drones on Izmail damaging port infrastructure and a residential building the local administration said in a post to social media Ukraine's air force said on Wednesday that Russia had launched 23 attack drones at Ukraine overnight and that air defenses had intercepted 17 of the uncrewed aerial vehicles Most of the drones were detected around the southern Ukrainian city of Odesa Ukraine's air force added in a statement to social media The drones attacking southern Ukraine were launched from Russia-controlled Crimea and Russia's Krasnodar region Ukraine's southern command said on Wednesday that "port infrastructure is under the spotlight again." Russia's targeting of port facilities at Izmail which became increasingly key for grain exports from mid-2023 has raised fears of the conflict raging in Ukraine overspilling into the NATO state Romania confirmed that parts of what was likely a drone had landed in its territory Bucharest had initially denied the reports after a Ukrainian foreign ministry spokesperson said Iranian-designed explosive drones had fallen "and detonated" in Romania Romania's national defense ministry said Romanian F-16s and German Air Force Typhoon jets were scrambled after Russia attacked Ukrainian port facilities and one of the drones landed in an "uncontrolled crash" close to a Romanian border village west of Izmail The drone left a crater 1.5 meters (5 feet) deep described the Russian strikes close to the Romanian border as "an irresponsible escalation." ET: This article was updated with additional information Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground Newsletters in your inbox See all Brendan Cole is a Newsweek Senior News Reporter based in London He also covers other areas of geopolitics including China Brendan joined Newsweek in 2018 from the International Business Times and well as English You can get in touch with Brendan by emailing b.cole@newsweek.com or follow on him on his X account @brendanmarkcole A Russian drone strike has hit a Ukrainian border crossing with NATO member Romania The Orlivka-Isaccea checkpoint where a ferry connects Ukraine's Odesa region with Romania was suspended Wednesday morning after the incident Ukrainian customs wrote on Telegram that ferry services at the checkpoint had been halted until 11 a.m local time Wednesday following "a night attack of the enemy." it issued an update that the crossing had reopened and operations had resumed Russian forces targeted port and border infrastructure in Odesa region overnight, according to Regional Administration authorities.Two people were injured, including a Turkish citizen. A border crossing on the Ukraine-Romania border is temporarily closed. pic.twitter.com/TnpDFzqnvI "The Russians deliberately fired at the checkpoint, making it difficult for ordinary people to cross the border. This is terror against the civilian population," regional governor Oleh Kiper posted on Telegram "Law enforcement officers are recording the consequences of another crime committed by the Russians," his post added The Russian attack also struck port infrastructure in the Izmail district of the Odesa region injuring two lorry drivers and Kiper shared images of the site in flames Last month, independent Russian outlet Verstka reported that debris from missiles and drones fired by Russia had landed in NATO countries 20 times since the start of the full-scale invasion Romanian territory close to Ukrainian Danube River ports which are frequent Russian targets has been hit 13 times Romania was among members of the Bucharest 9 bloc of eastern European countries which last month called on a "collective answer" from NATO to the threat posed by Russian drones NATO's Article 5 says an attack on one member is considered an attack on all although there are no direct accusations that Russia was deliberately targeting alliance countries with drones Newsweek has contacted NATO and the Russian Defense Ministry for comment defense research fellow at the Slovakia-based think tank GLOBSEC said last month that NATO members neutralizing drones using electronic warfare or kinetic systems would need to be balanced with avoiding escalation "Increased drone activity violating the air space of NATO Allies is a sensitive issue where finding a firm response is complicated by two issues— the threat of further escalation and incoming top-level political considerations," he told Newsweek "While NATO allies possess a range of options to confront adversarial drones the primary question that needs to be satisfied collectively is what allies want to accomplish with their subsequent strategy and tactics," he added Odesa was just one of several regions in Ukraine that were targeted by Russian attacks which killed seven people and injured 50 others In Kharkiv Oblast, five people, including a 14-year-old boy, were injured in a guided aerial bomb attack on the town of Derhachi, Governor Oleh Syniehubov said one person was killed and 25 suffered injuries where at least six guided aerial bombs were launched Ukraine's air force said it had downed 11 out of 32 Shahed-type drones launched by Moscow's forces with 10 drones "lost" due to electronic warfare and four others returning to Russia ET: This article has been updated with further information This website is using a security service to protect itself from online attacks The action you just performed triggered the security solution There are several actions that could trigger this block including submitting a certain word or phrase You can email the site owner to let them know you were blocked Please include what you were doing when this page came up and the Cloudflare Ray ID found at the bottom of this page The reported attack comes just days before Russia's Victory Day parade and three-day "truce." Vice President Mike Pence said Putin "only understands power." About 800 million euros ($905 million) will be allocated for the acquisition and installation of anti-tank mines to deter potential aggression  (Updated:  May 6, 2025 9:36 am)War analysisFrance is sending Ukraine more AASM Hammer bombs — here's what they can do Polish President Andrzej Duda said the United States has tools that can effectively influence the Kremlin arguing that only President Donald Trump has real leverage over Russian President Vladimir Putin The number includes 1,430 casualties that Russian forces suffered over the past day "To the Success of Our Hopeless Cause: The Many Lives of the Soviet Dissident Movement" by Benjamin Nathans which covers dissent in the Soviet Union and Russia today Reporters Without Borders (RSF) on May 5 announced they had facilitated Russian journalist Ekaterina Barabash's escape from Russia to France after she fled house arrest on April 21 A Russian drone attack on Odesa Oblast on May 5 killed one and caused damage to local infrastructure "We appreciate that Germany plays a pivotal role in supporting Ukraine throughout the years of war Ukraine is also grateful for your personal commitment," President Volodymyr Zelensky said MPs will be able to ask questions and learn more about the details of the agreement in meetings with Economy Minister Yulia Svyrydenko May 6-7 MP Serhii Sobolev told the news outlet Suspilne The ratification vote is scheduled for May 8 Attacks against the border villages of Bilopillia and Vorozhba damaged civilian infrastructure and triggered emergency evacuations the regional military administration reported "I look forward to working with President Erdogan on getting the ridiculous war between Russia and Ukraine ended — now!" U.S Putin's Victory Day truce "doesn't sound like much if you know where we started from," Trump told reporters at the White House on May 5 by Kateryna DenisovaThe aftermath of a Russian attack on the town of Izmail in Odesa Oblast overnight on Sept (Ukraine's State Emergency Service)Russian attacks against Ukraine killed eight people and injured at least 49 others over the past day Ukrainian forces downed 24 out of 32 Shahed-type drones launched by Russia overnight, the Air Force reported One more drone was "lost," and another entered Romanian airspace Russia also fired a North Korean Iskander M/KN-23 missile and two Kh-22 cruise missiles at Ukraine Russian drones attacked the town of Izmail in southern Odesa Oblast, killing three people and injuring at least 11, including a child, Governor Oleh Kiper said Two women born in 1934 and 1955 as well as a 73-year-old man were killed The aftermath of a Russian attack on the town of Izmail in Odesa Oblast overnight on Sept. 27, 2024. (Oleh Kiper/Telegram)Two people were killed in the town of Toretsk in Donetsk Oblast, Governor Vadym Filashkin said Two more people were killed in the settlements of Chasiv Yar and Siversk A total of 11 people suffered injuries in the region over the past day A Russian attack on the city of Kharkiv injured three women and two men, Governor Oleh Syniehubov said. Three men, aged 77, 74 and 46, suffered injuries after Russian attacks on Kupiansk, Vuzlovyi, Vovchansk and Ivashky in Kharkiv Oblast In Kherson Oblast, Russian forces targeted 24 settlements, including the regional center of Kherson. One person was killed and 19 were injured, Governor Oleksandr Prokudin reported Kateryna Denisova works as a News Editor at the Kyiv Independent She previously worked as a news editor at the NV media outlet for four years covering mainly Ukrainian and international politics Kateryna holds a bachelor’s degree in journalism from Taras Shevchenko University of Kyiv She also was a fellow at journalism schools in the Czech Republic and Germany On the night of Thursday, January 30, the Russian army struck the Izmail district in the Odesa region again. A hospital and private houses were damaged there, according to Oleh Kiper, head of the Odesa Regional Military Administration. Ukrainian air defense forces were working to destroy the Russian drones The district hospital was also damaged: windows were smashed and the facade and ceiling were damaged “All relevant services are working at the scene Law enforcement officers are recording the consequences of another Russian attack on the civilian residents of the Odesa region,” Kiper wrote when the port and three people were injured Yesterday, the port infrastructure of the Odesa region came under Russian fire. Fortunately, there were no casualties. However, the Russian shelling caused damage to buildings. the Russian army once again attacked Ukraine with strike drones The port infrastructure in the Odessa region was targeted This was reported by the head of the Odessa Regional Military Administration the region's air defense forces were actively working The Russian targets were the port facilities in the Izmail district All relevant services are working on-site to neutralize the effects of the enemy's strike "Law enforcement officers are documenting the aftermath of another act by the Russians against the civilian population of the Odessa region," Kiper wrote On the night of Wednesday, January 29, Russia attacked Ukraine again with drones. The port infrastructure of the Odesa region came under fire, according to Oleh Kiper, head of the Odesa Regional Military Administration. the air defense system in the Odesa region was working The Russians targeted the port infrastructure in the Izmail district the Russian strike caused damage to buildings All relevant services are working to eliminate the Russian attack on the spot “Law enforcement officers are recording the consequences of another Russian terrorist act against the civilian population of Odesa region,” wrote Kiper Izmail City Council showed photos of the consequences of the Russian night attack on the port infrastructure Last year, on the night of September 27, Russian troops attacked Ukraine with drones. Later it became known that the Russians massively attacked Izmail This is not the first time Russia has attacked Izmail. For example, on the night of July 24, the Russians attacked Izmail, Odesa region. The port was damaged, and 3 people were injured when a house was hit. Kyiv’s success in reviving its oceangoing grain trade is bad news for an ageing group of vintage vessels State-run Ukrainian Danube Shipping Co (UDP), is selling a large part of its general cargo fleet amid poor prospects to profitably employ the small, vintage vessels amid a revival in the war-torn country’s main oceangoing grain trade. The six ships, built about 30 years ago by Portugal’s Estaleiros Navais de Viana do Castelo shipyard, will be auctioned on 13 December. Facebook Twitter LinkedIn YouTube Instagram Your data on TradeWinds TradeWinds is part of DN Media Group AS From November 1st DN Media Group is responsible for controlling your data on TradeWinds We use your data to ensure you have a secure and enjoyable user experience when visiting our site. You can read more about how we handle your information in our privacy policy DN Media Group is the leading news provider in the shipping, seafood, and energy industries, with a number of English- and Norwegian-language news publications across a variety of sectors. Read more about DN Media Group here TradeWinds is part of NHST Global Publications AS and we are responsible for the data that you register with us and the data we collect when you visit our websites We use cookies in a variety of ways to improve your experience such as keeping NHST websites reliable and secure personalising content and ads and to analyse how our sites are being used For more information and how to manage your privacy settings please refer to our privacy and cookie policies On the night of February 13, Russian troops launched a massive drone attack in the Odesa region. A woman was injured by Russian drone debris, according to the head of the Odesa Regional Military Administration, Oleh Kiper. Russia struck the Izmail district of the Odesa region with drones Russian attack damaged the district's port infrastructure and an educational institution Shrapnel from the drone hit a car with a woman in it at the time She received a shrapnel wound to her thigh The victim was hospitalized in moderate condition Law enforcement officers are working at the scene of the Russian attack Russian attack on the Odesa region was first reported by local media there were reports of explosions in the city They wrote about the Russian Shahed attack and the work of air defense forces against Russian drones The authorities of the Odesa region issued a warning about the threat of a drone attack on the Odesa 11 Russian Shahed-136 kamikaze drones were shot down by the Ukrainian Navy that night drone attacks were reported in the Mykolaiv region Kherson also came under Russian fire. On the morning of February 13, Russian troops struck the central part of Kherson A 48-year-old man and a 55-year-old woman were wounded Lloyd's List is part of Maritime Intelligence This site is operated by a business or businesses owned by Maritime Insights & Intelligence Limited registered in England and Wales with company number 13831625 and address c/o Hackwood Secretaries Limited Lloyd’s List Intelligence is a trading name of Maritime Insights & Intelligence Limited Lloyd’s is the registered trademark of the Society Incorporated by the Lloyd’s Act 1871 by the name of Lloyd’s For high-quality copies or electronic reprints for distribution to colleagues or customers please call UK support at +44 (0)20 3377 3996 / APAC support at +65 6508 2430 The Danube ports are playing a fundamental role in facilitating international grain trade with outbound sailings quadrupling in comparison to last year DEPARTURES from Ukraine’s Danube ports have quadrupled as Ukraine tries to find viable routes to export grain in the face of Russia’s naval blockade Reni, Izmail and Kiliia together recorded 370 outbound sailings of commercial vessels since March according to vessel tracking data from Lloyd’s List Intelligence That compares with 90 in the year-earlier period are the only operating ports under Ukrainian control Seaborne trade out of Ukraine all but ground to a halt after the Russian invasion but two ports bordering Romania have stepped up operations to keep goods flowing internationally Departures from the Danube ports has steadily increased throughout the conflict as the government seeks alternative routes to keep grain flowing abroad Ukraine has established two routes through neighbouring Poland and Romania to export grain, Kyiv’s deputy foreign minister Dmytro Senik told Reuters Grain is being re-routed to Romania after being transported by rail to ports on the River Danube It is then loaded and sent towards Constanta which is described as a “complex and costly” process “Those routes are not perfect because it creates certain bottlenecks but we are doing our best to develop those routes in the meantime,” Mr Senik told Reuters New areas for handling cargo at the ports of Izmail and Reni are in development as well as a new berth for wet bulk cargoes says Eurogal Surveys claims handler Anna Biliuga The share of grain handled at Reni and Izmail has increased from 12% to 81% since the beginning of the year The main issue facing the ports right now is a lack of fleet for loading Shortage of foodstuffs will ‘inexorably’ lead to political chaos The Danube ports are keeping trade flowing but it is not at the scale the world needs to avoid a food crisis He said Ukraine supports a safe maritime corridor whereby ships from allies transport its grains Your username does not meet the requirements Sorry - public email accounts are not allowed An account with that username already exists Unfortunately we've not been able to process your registration Your question has been successfully sent to the email address below and we will get back as soon as possible This article has been sent to my@email.address Photo: Office of the President of the Republic of Slovenia a psychosocial assistance project for children is being implemented by the Slovenian Philanthropy in collaboration with the Ukrainian NGO Zhiva-ya under the coordination of ITF Enhancing Human Security The project is co-funded by the Slovenian Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs and the U.S visited one of the 24 schools participating in the project He observed the conditions for conducting lessons during wartime which partly take place in school shelters and volunteers involved in this humanitarian initiative Musar joined the children during a beekeeping lesson where he shared the story of famous Slovenian Mr the first beekeeper of the Austro-Hungarian Empire where various schools showcased their work Over 500 teachers have participated in the project which has already helped more than 2,000 children Musar addressed the large gathering at the festival in Izmail's central park a frequent target of Russian attacks—the latest of which occurred on the day of the Slovenian delegation's arrival The delegation included Slovenia's Ambassador to Ukraine    After meeting with volunteers from the Zhiva-ya NGO the Slovenian delegation visited Izmail University followed by meetings with the university leadership and professors who have actively contributed to the psychosocial assistance project for children.  Financial Times writers Christopher Miller and William Langley reported today that “Russia attacked targets across Ukraine with drones before sunrise on Wednesday hitting a critical river port facility and a grain silo in the southern Odesa region and raising further concerns over global food supplies “Ukraine’s air defence forces ‘worked nonstop for almost three hours’ to protect the Odesa region the country’s Operational Command South wrote on Telegram The region’s governor Oleh Kiper said fires had broken out at the port and emergency workers were rushing to put them out Videos and photos posted by Odesa authorities and local media showed flames and massive damage to the port of Izmail which lies on the Danube river across from Romania “‘Russian terrorists again attacked ports The world must respond,’ Ukraine’s president Volodymyr Zelenskyy said but the drones caused ‘significant damage.'” Also today, Bloomberg writers Megan Durisin, James Poole, and Andra Timu reported that as traders weigh new attacks at Ukraine’s ports and stiff global export competition “Russian drones struck a Ukrainian port on the Danube River Government and industry officials with knowledge of the situation said the attacks hit Izmail one of Ukraine’s biggest river terminals near the border with Romania.” sending wheat up by the exchange limit that day.” Reuters writers Gus Trompiz and Naveen Thukral reported today that “Chicago wheat rose sharply on Wednesday to recover from a two-week low as Russian strikes damaged a Ukrainian port on the Danube river reviving fears of disruption to Black Sea trade “The Russian attack on southern Ukraine in the early hours of Wednesday, which struck grain facilities at Izmail on the Danube, underscored the risk of a further squeeze on Ukrainian exports after Moscow last month pulled out of an agreement allowing grain shipments from Ukrainian Black Sea ports.” And Reuters writer Pavel Polityuk reported today that “The [Danube port of Izmail in the Odesa region] has served as the main alternative route out of Ukraine for grain exports since Russia reintroduced its de facto blockade of Ukraine’s Black Sea ports in mid-July.” Round-the-clock and intensifying Russian strikes on Kryvyi Rih Kherson make it clear once again Russia has no desire for peace “An industry source also confirmed Izmail was the main target of the attack describing the level of damage there as ‘serious,'” the article said since refusing to extend an agreement that had lifted its war-time blockade of Ukrainian ports last year.” And Marc Santora reported in today’s New York Times that “But while Russian ships menaced off the Ukrainian coast the small ports in the Danube river on the Romanian border kept working Their importance continued to grow even after an internationally brokered deal with Russia stabilized the shipping routes on the Black Sea for the limited movement of foodstuffs the small Danube ports are the only shipping outlet for millions of tons of grain once again trapped in Ukraine — and Russia has made clear they “‘The Danube is our gateway at sea to Europe and the world,’ Stanislav Zinchenko the head of the Institute for Strategic Black Sea Studies said the term ‘blockade’ did not exactly apply to the Danube ports which were never covered in the grain deal and have been working almost nonstop through the war “The Russian threats presented more of a ‘dare,’ he said with Moscow clearly hoping that the implicit threat of harassment and violence would intimidate international shipping companies and sailors “At least 16 ships are still anchored south-southwest of Snake Island “The ships have navigated their way to Ukraine by largely staying within 12 miles of the coasts of Bulgaria and Romania within the territorial waters of those countries in hopes of avoiding Russian warships and Russian naval mines Keith Good is the Farm Policy News editor for the farmdoc project He has previously worked for the USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service and compiled the daily FarmPolicy.com News Summary from 2003-2015 He is a graduate of Purdue University (M.S.- Agricultural Economics) and Southern Illinois University School of Law Bloomberg's Hallie Gu reported that "China’s grain supply won’t be affected by a loss of US feed grain and oilseed imports thanks to abundantly available substitutes on the global market… CNN's David Goldman reported Wednesday that "President Donald Trump said Wednesday that he could re-impose 'reciprocal' tariffs on some countries in as soon as two or three weeks Agri-Pulse's Oliver Ward reported this past week that "starting in October will impose port fees on Chinese-made ships and Chinese operators based on cargo volumes Spouse  of the President of the Republic of Slovenia attended a volunteer fair organized by schools participating in a psychosocial support project for children implemented by Slovenian Philanthropy in collaboration with the Ukrainian NGO Zhiva YA and coordinated by ITF Enhancing Human Security aims to support children affected by the war.  children from 11 schools presented their handmade creations When asked by a journalist from Southern Ukraine Television what he planned to do with these gifts Musar promised to ensure they would be displayed in a Slovenian school during a training session in Slovenia for volunteers from the Ukrainian organization Zhiva YA Musar fulfilled his promise with the help of Livada Primary School in Ljubljana A display case in the school’s entrance hall now showcases the souvenirs created by children from Izmail    On the first day of the exhibition who are implementing the psychosocial support project in Izmail with assistance thanks to a donation from Slovenia This collaboration highlights the strong humanitarian ties between Slovenia and Ukraine as well as the importance of supporting children through creative and psychosocial initiatives.  Donate The first strikes against Izmail Port occurred early in March 2022. After the Black Sea Grain Initiative (BCGI) was reached between Ukraine Izmail was spared bombardment until the agreement’s expiration a year later Further drone attacks occurred on the 10th, 16th and 23rd of August 2023, resulting in additional damage to grain storage facilities, approximately 13,000 tonnes of grain and to logistics hubs Attacks continued throughout the Autumn 2023 and Winter of 2024 Beyond the port facility itself, two cargo ships struck naval mines near the mouth of the Danube on the 20th September and 28th December 2023 respectively warehouses and a fuel storage facility were badly damaged or destroyed in the drone attacks in August and September 2023 The fires on the 1st-2nd August led to significant emissions to the air and resulted in soil contamination with hydrocarbon products around the tanks The proximity of the tanks to the River Danube increases the likelihood that pollutants may have entered the river through surface runoff The plumes from the fires reached Romanian territory and fallout from them may have affected the villages of Plauru and Pardina The 1st August attacks also resulted in 40,000 tonnes of damaged grain which is likely a small fraction of the total damaged by all attacks on the port Damaged grain requires appropriate management and disposal as it is associated with a range of potential environmental and biological risks Ukraine’s capacity to provide this is unclear Sea mines have been deployed in the Black Sea by both conflict parties. Damage to vessels threatens pollution incidents from their cargo and fuel. Mines have also been pushed by tides into the Delta’s estuaries, where they have detonated in areas being rewilded, causing fires in the dry woodlands Undetected sea mines will pose a long-term environmental threat both from causing sinkings and through corrosion over time and the dispersal of their constituents Fighting for wildlife in a time of war  | Hakai Magazine Danube Delta | Rewilding Europe Tarutino Steppe | Rewilding Europe Return to the country map here © 2025 Conflict and Environment Observatory | Charity No: 1174115 | Design by Open & Honest Izmail and Reni are now the only places grain can reliably be exported The Russian and Ottoman empires traded blows here in the 18th century, and one epic battle in 1790 – followed by a bloody massacre of civilians – was so central to Moscow’s concept of its military power that it was glorified in the country’s first unofficial national anthem. Then the area slipped back into relative obscurity, traded back and forth between competing powers, a smuggler’s paradise of sprawling wetlands and loosely policed borders. Until Vladimir Putin launched a new imperial war, and tried to close the Black Sea to Ukrainian shipping. The rusting Soviet-era docks and silted up shipping channels in Izmail and neighbouring Reni became globally important overnight. Read moreUkraine produces about 10% of the world’s wheat in a historic cultural melting pot known as Bessarabia are currently the only place its vast harvest can be reliably loaded on to ships for export more than 200 years after the famous siege of Izmail put it squarely back in the sights of Moscow’s generals with both ports being hit repeatedly this summer Firefighters work at a damaged property after a Russian drone attack in Izmail Photograph: Ukraine’s Operational Command South/Reuters“After the first strike people were shocked The war had come to us too,” said Reni’s mayor Until then violence had reached this sleepy borderland only by displacement Its roads filled up with thousands of trucks headed to the port and its houses and apartments with thousands of refugees from areas closer to the frontline They all thought their stretch of river was effectively shielded by Nato because it sits across the Danube from Romania the international border runs down the middle and a few hundred metres is a narrow margin of error for military targeting But Moscow’s desire to choke off Ukraine’s grain trade apparently sidelined any concerns about triggering an escalation of hostilities with Nato the first missile and drone attacks hit grain warehouses in the port The air raids have only intensified since then and this week Romania confirmed it had found drone debris on its territory Russia may even have exploited the border by sending kamikaze drones up the river just inside Ukrainian airspace “They were flying very very close,” he said of early raids adding they were just two or three hundred metres from the border at times making it hard for Ukraine to use air defences our weapons and maybe some destroyed parts of the drones could fall on Romanian territory Maybe Russians wanted to provoke Nato countries or maybe they just did it without any analysis or preparations.” An excavator loads grain into a cargo ship in Izmail Photograph: Andrew Kravchenko/APAuthorities were braced for more strikes “I asked the president to help us with much more air defence for Izmail We are in touch and normally he responds to our requests,” said Kiper The stakes couldn’t be higher in the fight to keep the ports open the economic stability of many more and the Ukrainian economy all hang in the balance Bessarabia may have a place in Ukraine’s collective imagination – the famous central market in Kyiv is named for the region – but got little attention from authorities before last year “Bessarabia was always on the edge of Ukraine The government and the state did nothing to develop Ukrainian identity here We couldn’t even get Ukrainian language TV here We asked for retransmission towers but they didn’t care.” Geographically and culturally it could hardly have seemed less prepared to replace Odesa – a wealthy cultural and trade hub with a deep Black Sea harbour that handled up to 7m tonnes of cargo a month – as a major logistics hub The Danube ports are reached by a single road an unofficial “transit corridor” that predates the war The only bridge that stays inside Ukrainian territory was bombed by Russia Border guards on the single track road count passengers on cars going into and out of this transit zone; men trying to escape conscription regularly jump out of vehicles and vanish on foot It’s another three hours’ slow drive down a single lane road so the vehicles line up in the thousands along the small country roads transforming the landscape of reedbeds and sunflower fields into an industrial parking lot Reni had been particularly badly affected by the collapse of the Soviet Union because although the port was larger than Izmail’s the railways leading to it came through Moldova Shipments were choked off by the new border Reni handled perhaps 200,000 tonnes of cargo and port authorities owed the city millions of dollars in unpaid taxes and fees Two men prepare to fish just 500 metres across the Danube from Izmail Photograph: Andreea Câmpeanu/Reuters“The port was dying,” Plekhov said often had stronger ties across those borders than to other parts of Ukraine “The infrastructure was in a bad condition.” Larger let’s make use of it’,” Plekhov says with a smile all sprang into action to repair the ports and build new infrastructure Nibulon – whose boss had been killed by a missile strike on his home – built a new terminal in Izmail in three months The debt to Reni city council was paid off Together Danube river ports now handle 3m tonnes of exports including grain and large quantities of sunflower oil – shipped out on well-cleaned tankers that bring in fuel but less than half of what Odesa processed even if Russian attacks don’t deter already wary shipping companies Vessels reach the river through a dredged channel known as the Sulina canal that emerges into Romanian territorial waters Its mouth is crammed these day with ships waiting to sail not only to Ukraine but also to other countries on the river – Hungary “Even now there are lots of vessels waiting to enter the Danube “One key problem is the depth of the channel A few months ago the water line was one and a half metres higher than it is now.” Then vessels could load between 5,000 and 7,000 tonnes; now in lower water they can ship less than half that Some of that pressure on the Danube will fall away when the war ends But traders expect the new port infrastructure will stay in regular use bringing an economic dividend that may help reduce crime and smuggling It would also strengthen cultural changes binding this borderland more closely to the rest of Ukraine a statue of the Russian general Alexander Suvorov who won the 18th-century battle for Izmail and young men and women from the area are dying to prevent his successors returning “A lot of people from this area joined the armed forces of Ukraine as volunteers “I’m ready to explain everything; you have to support Ukraine.” For travel to the United States on a temporary basis For foreign citizens who want to live permanently in the United States Learn more about quality higher-education opportunities in the U.S that you will not find anywhere else in the world Brink visited the Danube river ports of Reni and Izmail to highlight the U.S government’s sustained support for Ukraine’s grain exports and its economically vital agricultural sector amid Russia’s ongoing full-scale war against Ukraine The United States is working with the private sector to mobilize investment and ensure the Danube ports can play a greater role in exporting Ukraine’s grain despite Russia’s continued disruption of Black Sea shipping Ambassador Brink and USAID/Ukraine Mission Director James Hope joined Deputy Prime Minister Oleksandr Kubrakov and Oleksiy Vostrikov and representatives of private companies in on-site discussions about how the U.S and the private sector can further strengthen Ukraine’s export infrastructure bolstering the country’s economy and bringing much-needed grain to the global market investments in Ukraine’s river port infrastructure will help sustain a pillar of Ukraine’s economy and help alleviate the global food security crisis exacerbated by Russia’s war on Ukraine,” said Ambassador Brink Ambassador Brink traveled to Izmail and Reni in support of a U.S.-backed initiative to renovate and expand the ports of Reni and Izmail through co-investments between USAID Through a series of private sector partnerships announced by USAID in March government will contribute $8 million through the USAID Agriculture Resilience Initiative-Ukraine (AGRI-Ukraine) along with $36 million in total from Kernel government to upgrade the Port of Reni and Nibulon is co-investing with the U.S A further partnership with Grain Alliance will enable increased exports through the purchase of a transshipment storage facility head of the Ukrainian Sea Ports Authority in Reni to discuss initiatives aimed at upgrading the port and improving its ability to get Ukrainian grain to market Ambassador Brink met with Oleksandr Istomin head of the Ukrainian Sea Ports Authority in Izmail Nibulon’s Deputy General Director for Interaction with Public Authorities to discuss USAID’s joint initiative with Nibulon to expand the port and increase its shipping capacity “USAID supports Ukraine’s farmers and food producers to continue putting food on tables in Ukraine and around the world,” said USAID/Ukraine Mission Director Hope “USAID has provided inputs like seeds and fertilizers and facilitated increased access to financing and we are partnering with the private sector to help Ukraine export grain to the global market earning important revenue for Ukraine’s recovery from Russia’s full-scale war.” Government Support for Ukrainian Grain Exports: government supports the extension and expansion of the Black Sea Grain Initiative a UN and Türkiye-sponsored agreement that facilitates desperately-needed grain exports through the international waters of the Black Sea to millions of people around the world The initiative is critical for Ukraine to continue providing food supplies that alleviate the global food security crisis and provide Ukraine critical revenue despite Russia using threats to global food supplies as a weapon of war launched in July 2022 with a $100 million investment government has reached more than 29 percent of Ukraine’s registered farmers with critical inputs like seeds and fertilizer farmers have been able to pack and store 501,500 metric tons of grain Partnership with the private sector and the international community has been critical to AGRI-Ukraine’s success USAID has leveraged more than $70 million in private sector investments to maximize the impact of the initiative Bayer has committed more than $37 million to increase seed production and donated seeds for more than 25,000 households and farmers with an additional $27 million announced earlier this month which all have deep ties to Ukraine’s agriculture sector have increased their investments by more than $36 million to increase Ukraine’s grain shipping capacity by more than 3.35 million metric tons annually the World Bank has joined AGRI-Ukraine through its commitment to provide $132 million to support four Government of Ukraine programs including greenhouse and orchard development grants and providing support for water user associations We use cookies to make our website work better and improve your experience. By continuing to use the site, you agree to our privacy policy. Connecting decision makers to a dynamic network of information, people and ideas, Bloomberg quickly and accurately delivers business and financial information, news and insight around the world The attack damaged grain storage facilities a fuel tank and administrative buildings in the Odesa region in southwestern Ukraine one of Ukraine’s biggest river terminals near the border with Romania The roots of Russia's invasion of Ukraine go back decades and run deep The current conflict is more than one country fighting to take over another; it is — in the words of one U.S official — a shift in "the world order."Here are some helpful stories to make sense of it all on Ukraine's far southern border with Romania is one of the few Ukrainian-run ports still operating in the country Ukraine — The traffic is near constant in this remote southernmost region of Ukraine Eighteen-wheelers are clogging bumpy two-lane roads hauling goods and grain to and from a border that probably hasn't been this busy since Soviet times There are only three Ukrainian-run ports that are still operating in the country All are on the Danube River in this secretive multiethnic region that locals say has been long overlooked by Kyiv "You may have heard that during the blockade of Black Sea ports there arises the problem of exporting grains," says Rodion Abashev the head of the district government agency in Izmail a city separated from Romania by the Danube "Now all of the regions that are near the border are helping with this problem." Russia's blockade and occupation of Ukraine's Black Sea ports have largely halted its maritime trade. Ukraine and the United Nations say it's also contributing to a global food crisis because Ukraine is such a major food exporter that African and Middle Eastern countries have relied on 70% of Ukraine's exports went through its Black Sea ports with all of those ports blocked by Ukrainian mines or under Russian occupation the country is having to move some of its 23 million tons of stockpiled grain and other goods by land Ukraine has established two trade routes to export grain, the country's Deputy Foreign Minister Dmytro Senik told Reuters earlier this month "Those routes are not perfect because it creates bottlenecks but we are doing our best to develop those routes in the meantime," he said but differences in rail gauges create delays when they cross the border into neighboring countries Much of the international attention has focused on the larger of the two trade corridors where differences in rail gauges and long lines at border crossings have created a bottleneck But quieter efforts to move commodities through Ukraine's southwestern-most corner an ethnically diverse and historically pro-Russian region known as Bessarabia Ports on Danube river are the only gateway for export of 22 mln tons of grain, which Russia blocks in Ukraine. And this year's crop will be add’l 50 mln. To date, 4,000 trucks struggle to unload at Izmail and Reni for 4 weeks. Russia is fully responsible for world food crisis. pic.twitter.com/d8FkgbUzRi A Soviet statue in the southwest corner of Ukraine in a region called Bessarabia that's ethnically diverse and historically pro-Russia say drive times have doubled on local roads and supply issues are helping drive up the costs of goods by 30% to 70% Valentyna Irzheva works at a roadside shop in Tatarbunary where supply issues are helping drive up the costs of goods by 30% to 70% truckers are living in their rigs and bathing on the muddy banks of a neighboring lagoon as they wait for weeks And there are broader concerns that this growing southern trade route is uniquely vulnerable to Russian interference a truck driver waiting at the port of Izmail stands near a marshy area where he says he's been bathing while biding his time to offload his truck Belous and other truckers share meals cooked in between their trucks sometimes of fish caught in the nearby river as some locals call it — is geographically isolated from the rest of Ukraine The wide mouth of the Lower Dniester River separates it from the rest of the Odesa Oblast There are only two routes connecting the regions runs through the southern tip of Moldova just south of the border town of Palanca a rail and vehicle bridge along the Black Sea coast has been repeatedly targeted by Russian airstrikes shook buildings in downtown Bilhorod-Dnistrovskyi roughly 10 miles away It is about 10 miles from the Zatoka bridge which has been hit by multiple military strikes over the course of the war "We see constant bombardments," Vitarliy Grazhdan "They are trying to destroy our logistics and the economy of our country This was all done to put us to our knees." Grazhdan and other Ukrainian officials won't say if Russia's latest missile strike on the Zatoka bridge was successful in destroying the crossing Access to the bridge is blocked by strict checkpoints But members of pro-Russian channels on the social media app Telegram have shared photos they claim show the rail bridge soon after the strike with a mess of twisted steel dipping into water below This was all done to put us to our knees." he says the strikes are illustrative of how fraught and dynamic the situation is for business owners desperate to export goods "The situation is very difficult and uncomfortable and it changes every day," says the CEO of a company still producing sunflower oil and exporting it by way of the Danube River He asked NPR not to use his name to avoid identifying the company because of security concerns for their business operation citing Russia's strikes on other agricultural enterprises in recent weeks The river's ports aren't equipped to handle the amount of volume that's being asked of them The soaring price of gas and unreliable rail lines are making it harder for them to make any sort of profit A man fishes near the port in Izmail as boats come and go on the Danube Bessarabia was a region that some speculated would be a prime target of Russia complicated history and lingering pockets of pro-Russian sentiment are reminiscent of another area of Ukraine Russia has already annexed: Crimea The region does not have an ethnic majority of Ukrainians and Russian propaganda media is still widely disseminated Villages in the region are generally small and poor "The attitude to the central government is like this: OK an Izmail-born professor of social sciences at Izmail State University the only state-run institute of higher learning in Bessarabia "So let's live together but do not interrupt our good living here." made a show of visiting the strategically important Snake Island last year to raise awareness of Russia's increased warship presence in the Black Sea "There is a problem and it is not only a Ukrainian problem," he said at a news conference during the visit. "Tomorrow, the Black Sea region might be blocked and all this will affect the Azov region, the Black Sea region, the Mediterranean. ... This will affect the Danube, which unites 10 European countries." Local volunteers join the mayor (not pictured) of Bilhorod-Dnistrovskyi for an afternoon meal after completing some work, like cleaning up sidewalks and tending to the town's garden beds. Villages in the region are generally small and poor. Soviet monuments still decorate parks. And the area is ethnically varied, with Bulgarian towns, Moldovan, Russian, Ukrainian and others. The warning was prescient. Snake Island is now occupied by Russia. But it didn't do much to change hearts and minds locally, Kapliienko says. The actions Russia has taken since invading Ukraine have. "Everything has changed," he says. "Nobody expected such violence." Beheadings in Bucha. The flattening of Mariupol. Civilian buildings being targeted by missile strikes. "We even have this sort of joke that Russian authorities did the most to unite different nationalities to one Ukrainian nation," says Jaroslav Kichuk, the rector of Izmail State University. "Thanks to this war, Russia has lost a lot of supporters who would have supported them for years and years." At the port of Izmail, just off the concrete banks of the Danube River, fishermen cast lines into the water in the shadow of its moving cranes. Business owners tell NPR that the port is being expanded. A grain elevator is being built to help export agricultural goods, a claim that local authorities won't confirm. Valeriy, who asks for his last name not to be used for security reasons because he contracts with the Ukrainian military, sat on a park bench with his daughter, watching barges motor up the Danube unimpeded. People sit on a park bench watching boats motor up the Danube near the Izmail port. "We are building a new berth that will be completed by autumn," he says. Asked if Ukraine's Danube ports can handle the new surge in traffic, he laughs, gesturing toward a parking lot at the port's entrance crowded with parked trucks. "There's your answer." Between two of those closely parked semi-trucks, Sergiy Belous and two other truckers cook a dinner of soup and grilled fish, caught on the river. Cognac is served from a plastic liter bottle. Belous pats the container on the back of his truck, filled with grain from the Mykolaiv region, and says he's been waiting at the port for a month to offload. Fellow truckers at the Ukrainian port further upriver, Reni, have been waiting to offload for two months. Authorities promised they'd be able to load his grain into a container ship by mid-June, but he's skeptical. Meanwhile, he's not being paid, he says. Asked about the problems at the port, the congestion, and the secrecy in the area, he chuckles. "The problem is Russia," he says. "Boom, boom." Sergiy Belous walks between trucks laughing with other truckers where they wait to offload their rigs at the Izmail port. Notifications can be managed in browser preferences. Erdogan says Putin agrees to visit Turkey as talks continue to restart grain deal I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice Russia attacked Ukraine’s main inland port across the River Danube from Romania on Wednesday, sending global food prices higher as it ramps up its use of force to prevent Kyiv from exporting grain. The attacks destroyed buildings in the port of Izmail, south of Moldova, and halted ships in their tracks as they prepared to arrive there to load up with Ukrainian grain in defiance of a de-facto Black Sea blockade reimposed by Russia last month. The port, which lies across the river from Nato-member Romania, is the main alternative route for exports. Ukraine said the Russian attacks damaged almost 40,000 tons of grain destined for countries in Africa as well as China and Israel. “Russian terrorists have once again attacked ports, grain, global food security,” President Volodymyr Zelensky wrote on Telegram. Russian state news agency RIA claimed the port was housing foreign mercenaries and military hardware. Video released by the Ukrainian authorities showed firefighters on ladders battling a blaze several storeys high in a building covered with broken windows. Several other large buildings were in ruins, and grain spilled out of at least two wrecked silos. There were no reports of casualties, according to the Odesa region’s governor, Oleh Kiper. Commercial ship tracking data showed dozens of international ships halting and dropping anchor at the mouth of the Danube, many of them registered to arrive in Izmail from the Black Sea. Two industry sources told Reuters that operations at the port were suspended. Seaport authority head Yuriy Lytvyn said on Facebook that repair work had already begun and the port infrastructure continued to operate. Ukraine is one of the world’s top grain exporters. Russia has attacked its agricultural and port infrastructure for more than two weeks, since refusing to extend an agreement that had lifted its war-time blockade of Ukrainian ports last year. Meanwhile, Vladimir Putin spoke by telephone to Turkish president Tayyip Erdogan, who sponsored the original grain deal. The Kremlin said Mr Putin reiterated Russia’s condition for rejoining the deal: that a parallel deal improving terms for its own food and fertiliser exports be implemented. Mr Erdogan’s office said the leaders agreed Mr Putin would soon visit Turkey. Mr Putin, wanted by the International Criminal Court for war crimes, has made no official visits abroad this year, and has left former Soviet territory only once since launching his invasion, a day trip to Tehran more than a year ago. Mr Erdogan has long said he hopes to host Putin and convince him to rejoin the grain deal. The United Nations has warned of a potential food crisis in the world’s poorest countries due to Russia’s decision to abandon the deal. Moscow says it will treat ships heading to Ukraine’s Black Sea ports as potential military targets. Meanwhile, eastern members of Nato are growing worried about the presence of Russia-linked Wagner group mercenaries in Belarus, where some have been deployed since a short-lived mutiny in Russia in June. Poland, Lithuania and Latvia had already been on alert since large numbers of migrants and refugees began arriving at their borders from Belarus two years ago. They have accused Belarus leader Alexander Lukashenko, an ally of Russia, of opening the migration route in an act of “hybrid warfare” aimed at creating instability in the West. Now concerns have grown further since the Wagner troops began arriving in Belarus after their mutiny. Poland’s prime minister, Mateusz Morawiecki, said on the weekend that some 100 Wagner fighters had approached the border with Poland, specifically a strategically sensitive area known as the Suwalki Gap. “Now the situation becomes even more dangerous,” Mr Morawiecki told reporters. “This is certainly a step towards a further hybrid attack on Polish territory.” It comes after two Belarusian helicopters entered Polish air space at low altitude while carrying out exercises. Reuters and Associated Press contributed to this report Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies Move seems to be retaliation for Russian seizure of three Ukrainian vessels last year Ukrainian authorities have seized a Russian tanker moored in a river port near the Black Sea in apparent retaliation for Russia’s seizure of three Ukrainian vessels and arrest of 24 sailors in November last year Ukraine’s SBU security service said in a Facebook post on Thursday it had seized the Russian tanker Nika Spirit in Izmail a port on the Danube River near the country’s border with Romania The SBU said it had seized documents from the ship and questioned its crew. It also released a video showing its officers and those from the military prosecutor’s office boarding the vessel The Russian foreign ministry threatened a swift retaliation if arrests were made, but later a spokesman for the Russian embassy in Kyiv told news agencies that while the vessel remained impounded, the crew were on their way back to Russia said there were about 15 sailors onboard the ship Ukrainian prosecutors said about 10 crew members had been questioned The SBU said the vessel had previously been called Neyma and had taken part in blocking the three Ukrainian ships in the Kerch strait last year with the owners apparently changing its name to Nika Spirit to avoid detection Russia annexed Crimea in 2014 and has built a bridge over the Kerch strait Ukrainian ships have to pass through the strait to exit the Sea of Azov The 24 sailors seized during the November incident in the strait have been held in Russian prisons since Moscow accused the ships of illegally entering Russian territorial waters The Hamburg-based International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea has condemned Moscow over the incident and said it should release the sailors Zelenskiy spoke to Russia’s president, Vladimir Putin by telephone for the first time last week and discussed a possible prisoner exchange and there was a sense that there could be a deal soon involving the 24 sailors a Moscow court ruled that the sailors should stay in custody for a further three months and Thursday’s move threatens to inflame tensions further The head of the Russian parliament’s international affairs committee on Thursday branded Ukraine’s move against the Russian tanker “state-sponsored piracy” and said it was “unlawful and illicit pressure on the investigation” into the Ukrainian sailors seized by Russia Romania's president has condemned Russia's attacks on ports on the Danube as unacceptable and war crimes On Wednesday morning, Russia attacked Ukrainian grain ports at Izmail on the River Danube, a short distance from Romania. A grain warehouse, a passenger building and an elevator for loading grain were damaged, the BBC reported The attacks were "unacceptable," Romanian President Klaus Iohannis said on social media "These are war crimes and they further affect UA's [Ukraine's] capacity to transfer their food products towards those in need in the world." "The world must respond. When civilian ports are targeted, when terrorists deliberately destroy even grain elevators, it is a threat to everyone on all continents. Russia can and must be stopped," Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Telegram Russia has launched a series of air strikes against the Danube riverports after pulling out last month from a U.N.-brokered deal that had allowed Ukraine to export 33 million metric tons of grains and oilseeds over the past 12 months "Ukrainian grain has the potential to feed millions of people worldwide. However, russia chose the path of killing, starvation, and terrorism, " Ukraine's ministry of defence said on Twitter. Despite Donald Trump’s lurch into protectionism and coercion, Friedrich Merz believes a transatlantic trade deal can still be done. Berlin wants more robust military spending following a bombshell move by the Trump administration to negotiate a peace deal with Russian President Vladimir Putin. U.S. president faces outrage from Arab countries and key European capitals over his “dangerous” proposal that Palestinians should be removed from the coastal enclave.  Billionaire’s animosity toward German mainstream politicians and his affection for the AfD could bode poorly for Germany’s next government. An oil tanker moves along the Danube river close to the port of Izmail The Danube became a priority avenue for Ukrainian supplies after Russia exited a United Nations-backed safe corridor in the Black Sea last year a significant amount of crops also flow by rail and road via the EU and Polish farmers — protesting what they call an uncontrolled flood of Ukrainian food products — are blocking a key route You don't have permission to access the page you requested What is this page?The website you are visiting is protected.For security reasons this page cannot be displayed.