Russia fired cruise missiles in opposition to a civilian cargo ship within the Black Sea final month, however Ukrainian air protection forces thwarted the assault, British navy officers stated Monday.
The meant goal of the Aug. 24 missile strike was a Liberian-flagged cargo ship docked within the Ukrainian port metropolis of Odesa on the Black Sea. The assault was launched from a missile provider that’s a part of Russia’s Black Sea Fleet, U.Ok. protection officers stated.
“Thanks to Ukraine’s air defense, the attack on the civilian ship failed. Not one of the Kalibr missiles reached its intended target,” the British Defense Ministry stated in a press release. “This is a clear demonstration of Russia’s continuing attempts to choke Ukraine’s economy, and President [Vladimir] Putin’s disregard for the lives of civilians and the interests of countries in Africa, Asia, and the Middle East.”
Russia has systematically focused Ukrainian port amenities and different civilian infrastructure since July. The assaults have destroyed nearly 300,000 tons of grain, which U.Ok. officers stated is sufficient to feed greater than 1 million individuals for a 12 months and greater than the whole Russia promised to donate to international locations in Africa.
“In targeting cargo ships and Ukrainian infrastructure, Russia is hurting the rest of the world,” British Foreign Secretary James Cleverly stated in a press release after the foiled missile strike. “Putin is trying to win a war he will not win, and these attacks show just how desperate he is.”
Kyiv had supplied greater than half of the wheat for the U.N.’s World Food Program earlier than Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022. It was feeding 400 million individuals worldwide and accounted for about 10% of the world’s provide of wheat, corn and barley, British officers stated.
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