Photo: AP Photo/Petros GiannakourisMoscow does not reveal whether it intends to seize Odessa. There is a fear in Kiev that this port city on the Black Sea could suffer the fate of Mariupol. As the world faces its worst famine in decades, Ukraine is unable to export some 20 million tons of stored grain because Russian troops block its ports
Several explosions were heard in the port city of Odessa on the Black Sea on Tuesday night. The Ukrainian side claims that tourist facilities and a shopping center were hit, killing one person and injuring several others. Allegedly, the Russians used supersonic missiles of the "Kinshal" type, which are practically impossible to shoot down.
The Unian agency quoted a local official as saying that "the enemy is exerting psychological pressure and hysterically attacking peaceful civilians and civilian infrastructure."
Russian plan
Moscow still does not reveal the ultimate goal of the military invasion in the south and east of Ukraine. It is believed that the plan is for Russian forces to establish control over the entire Donbass, expand the territory of the self-proclaimed independent Donetsk and Luhansk People's Republics, establish a land corridor between Crimea and pro-Russian territories in the east of the country, and cut off the rest of Ukraine from the Azov and Black Seas, which would make the country's economy crippled.
Tactical destruction of cities
Russian military tactics are best seen in Maripolje: the city, where before the war lived about 450.000 people, was bombed for months, civil infrastructure and residential buildings were destroyed, and finally Russian troops entered the ruined city. The only resistance is still provided by Ukrainian troops led by the "Azov" regiment, who have barricaded themselves in the Azovstal steel plant.
There is a fear that the million-strong city of Odessa could suffer a similar fate. The problem for the Russian troops is that Odessa has had plenty of time to establish itself and prepare for an attack from both land and sea. It is similar in Donbass, where fighting has been going on since 2014 and where numerous Ukrainian troops with war experience have been buried.
Appeal for the unblocking of ports
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky appealed to European Council President Charles Michel to help unblock ports so Ukraine could export grain. Michel wrote on Twitter: โI saw silos full of grain, wheat and corn ready for export. This much-needed food is stuck because of the Russian war and the blockade of the Black Sea ports. It causes dramatic consequences for vulnerable countries. We need a global response."
While Michel was staying in Odessa, he had to go to a shelter because of rocket attacks.
Famine as a consequence of the war in Ukraine
Ukraine and Russia are among the largest grain exporters in the world. UNICEF has issued a statement in which it dramatically warns of impending starvation in Africa.
Some regions in Africa are facing a drought that has not been seen in the last four decades, the statement said. Children are particularly vulnerable due to malnutrition. That situation has worsened dramatically because of the war in Ukraine. Cereal prices have risen massively and become unaffordable for the poor population.
About 20 million tons of grain are stored in Ukraine, which it cannot export, because Russian forces block its ports. Kiev and the West accuse Russia of stealing hundreds of thousands of tons of grain from Ukraine and of deliberately destroying Ukraine's agricultural infrastructure.
JH/BBC/Spiegel/UNICEF
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