Ukraine’s Office of the Prosecutor General has announced it would probe whether the recent Russian attacks on Odessa and other Black Sea ports amount to war crimes. These ports are crucial exporters of grain, forming a critical food supply for some of the world’s poorest nations.
Despite Russia co-signing the Black Sea Grain Initiative, which was intended to secure Black Sea grain suppliers, the ports were attacked. These strikes on grain storage facilities and other port infrastructure have reportedly destroyed almost 180,000 tons of grain, leading to soaring grain prices. The ensuing crisis deeply affected several African countries that rely heavily on grain imports. According to US State Department spokesman Matthew Miller, one attack resulted in the destruction of over 40,000 tons of grains within a 24-hour period, leading to three casualties.
This sudden depletion of inventory caused wheat and corn prices to inflate by 10 percent across the global south, further destabilizing Ukraine’s already beleaguered agricultural sector. The situation has become so severe that Ukraine’s Office of the Prosecutor General has pleaded with Ukraine’s Parliament to amend the Criminal Procedure Code, enabling investigators more time to probe the multitude of potential Russian war crimes.
Meanwhile, Russia has managed to turn this situation to its own advantage. The country’s grain exporters are now filling the void, with Russian President Vladimir Putin recently pledging to supply “free” grain to African countries impacted by the price increases through a UN food program. Russia also continues to defend its attacks. Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Vershinin argued that the attacks were “retribution” for a recent Ukrainian strike on a key bridge to the Crimean peninsula.