Russia said that its missile barrage on a Ukrainian port key to a freshly-inked grain export deal had targeted military infrastructure at the facility after the attack sparked an outcry from Ukraine and its allies, on Sunday.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky denounced Saturday's strike as "Russian barbarism" on the Odesa port that came just one day after the warring sides struck a deal to resume exports blocked by the conflict.
Turkey helped broker the accord and said after the double cruise missile attacks that it had received assurances from Moscow that Russian forces were not responsible. But Russia's Foreign Ministry spokeswoman appeared to roll back on that denial Sunday, saying the strikes had destroyed a Ukrainian warship, according to Moscow Times
Zelensky said the strikes on Odesa showed Moscow could not be trusted to keep its promises and that dialogue with Moscow was becoming increasingly untenable. "This apparent Russian barbarism brings us even closer to obtaining the very weapons we need for our victory," Zelensky said in a late-night address to the nation.
"Kalibr missiles destroyed military infrastructure in the port of Odesa, with a high-precision strike," Maria Zakharova said in a statement on social media, claiming a "patrol boat" had been sunk. The port attack has thrown into doubt the milestone agreement aimed at relieving a global food crisis that was hammered out over months of negotiations and signed in Istanbul.
Under the deal brokered by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and United Nations chief Antonio Guterres, Odesa is one of three designated export hubs.
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