30 ships stop in Danube after Russia hits Ukrainian river ports

Almost 30 ships dropped anchor near Ukraine's Izmail port terminal after Russia destroyed grain warehouses on the Danube River in today's morning strike, Reuters reported, referring to its data. Ukrainian Danube ports were becoming increasingly important as an alternative route for food exports amid the Russian blockade of the main Odesa and Mykolayiv ports. During the war, the share of Danube ports in Ukrainian food exports tremendously increased from 1-2% to almost 20%. Oleh Kiper, the head of the military administration of Odesa Oblast, reported that six port employees were injured during the attack. Four of them were hospitalized with injuries. President of Romania, Klaus Iohannis, condemned Russia’s recent strike on the port infrastructure of the city of Reni near the country’s border, warning of security risks in the Black Sea. “This recent escalation pose serious risks to the security in the Black Sea. It also affects further Ukrainian grain transit and thus the global food security,” he wrote.