Oleg Kiper, the governor of Ukraine's Odessa region, reported on Friday that Russian missiles hit grain silos belonging to an agricultural institution in the southern Ukrainian region, marking the fourth consecutive night of airstrikes on southern Ukraine, resulting in two injuries. He stated, "Unfortunately, the grain silos of an agricultural institution in the Odessa region were bombed. The enemy destroyed 100 tons of peas and 20 tons of barley." Kiper noted that "Russia launched Caliber cruise missiles from the Black Sea at low altitude, which allowed them to evade air defense systems." He added that "two missiles struck the grain storage facilities, causing a fire. Another missile hit the agricultural institution itself while firefighters were extinguishing the flames, damaging agricultural and rescue equipment."
Images from the scene showed a fire raging among the collapsed metal buildings that appeared to be storage facilities, and a fire truck sustained severe damage. Yuri Malashko, the governor of the southern Zaporizhia region, reported that "80 Russian attacks targeted residential areas in the region over the past 24 hours," resulting in four fatalities. The prosecutor's office indicated that a couple in their fifties were killed early on Friday morning in a Russian shelling of the town of Konstantinivka in the eastern Donetsk region.
Moscow claims it has carried out "retaliatory strikes" this week after withdrawing from the grain export agreement in the Black Sea, accusing Ukraine of being behind Monday's explosions on a bridge used for transporting Russian military supplies.
United Nations Under-Secretary-General for Political Affairs Rosemary DiCarlo warned on Friday that Russian attacks on Ukrainian ports on the Black Sea pose "long-term risks to global food security, particularly in developing countries." DiCarlo informed the UN Security Council that the threats regarding the potential targeting of civilian ships in the Black Sea waters, by both Russia and Ukraine, are unacceptable. She stated, "Any risk of escalating the conflict as a result of a military incident in the Black Sea—whether intentional or accidental—must be avoided at all costs, as this could lead to grave consequences for all of us."
UN aid official Martin Griffiths noted that the sharp rise in grain prices following Russia's withdrawal from the Ukrainian grain export agreement through the Black Sea "could potentially threaten millions with hunger and worse." He added before the Security Council, "Families in developing countries will feel an acute increase in prices," mentioning that 362 million people in 69 countries currently require humanitarian assistance. He continued, "Some will feel hunger, some will starve, and many may die as a result of these decisions." Russia, which began its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, continues to bombard eastern and southern regions this week.
