Russian missile hits Ukrainian grain ship, sparking global concern

The President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky, reported that during the night, Russians attacked a civilian cargo ship carrying grain to Egypt with a missile. The strike occurred just after the ship left Ukrainian territorial waters. "We await the world's response. Wheat and food security should never be targets of missiles," he wrote on his profile on the platform X.

The ship carrying grain from Ukraine was hit by a Russian missile in the Black Sea after exiting Ukrainian waters, President Zelensky stated on the platform X on Thursday.

"Ukraine is one of the key global guarantors of food security. Internal stability and normal life in dozens of countries around the world depend on the normal and uninterrupted functioning of our food export corridor," wrote Zelensky.

"Ukrainian food supplies to African countries and the Middle East are of crucial importance. We will continue to make every effort to ensure the safety of our ports, the Black Sea, and food exports to global markets," assured the President. "We await the world's response. Wheat and food security should never be targets of missiles," he added.

Earlier, a source in the maritime transport industry told Reuters that the grain ship was hit in Romanian waters near the Danube's mouth overnight from Wednesday to Thursday. A spokesman for the Ukrainian Navy, Dmytro Pletenchuk, also said that the ship was not in Ukrainian waters at the time of the attack but in Romania's exclusive economic maritime zone.

Meanwhile, Romanian maritime authorities assured that the ship was not in Romanian territorial waters. A spokeswoman for the maritime authority, Irina Puscasu, told Reuters: "I can now say only that the ship was not in our territorial waters. No assistance was requested from us."

According to Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiha, the Russian strike on the grain ship in the Black Sea is a "brazen attack" on maritime freedom of movement and global food security. He added on the platform X that Ukraine will promptly notify the UN and the International Maritime Organization of this crime. He also called on partners for a decisive reaction.

British maritime security company Ambrey reported in a note that a bulk carrier flying the flag of Saint Kitts and Nevis was hit by a missile launched by Russia after departing from the Ukrainian port of Chornomorsk in the Odesa region. The ship's deck, hold, and crane were damaged, according to the report. There are no reports of casualties.

Ukraine is one of the largest grain producers in the world. It exports around 4 million tonnes of grain monthly through its Black Sea corridor, established in August 2023, after Russia withdrew from the grain agreement brokered by the UN and Turkey.