Moscow, Russia. Russia on Tuesday accused Ukraine of terrorism over escalating attacks on shipping in the Sea of Azov, a route that handles about a quarter of Russian grain exports. Ukraine said its drones struck 11 Russian vessels overnight.
Vessels targeted
Robert Brovdi, commander of Ukraine’s drone forces, said in a Telegram statement that the targets included five tankers, five dry cargo vessels and a tugboat.
He said the strikes brought the total number of vessels hit over the previous nine days to 116. The statement did not specify whether grain ships were among the targets.
Industry sources told Reuters, on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the matter, that several grain ships were hit and caught fire on July 13 and July 14. One source said vessels in the Sea of Azov were exposed to further attacks.
Russian and Ukrainian responses
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Ukraine’s actions went beyond piracy and were intended to cause damage and intimidate.
“It is terrorism, pure and simple,” Lavrov said.
A Ukrainian military source told Reuters that Ukrainian forces strike only military targets or facilities that contribute to Russia’s combat capability. The source said civilian cargoes were not targets and accused Russia of seeking a pretext for strikes on Ukrainian civilian infrastructure.
Port attacks
Russia has intensified strikes on Ukrainian Black Sea ports since the end of last year. Ukrainian officials have said the attacks could reduce monthly grain export capacity at ports in the Odesa region by as much as one-third.
