During a night attack by Shahed kamikaze drones in the Odesa region, Russian troops struck the Reni port, which is located near the border with Romania. Most of the drones were shot down, but some reached the target.
According to the head of the Reniya community, Ihor Plekhov, about 15 Shaheds were recorded during the attack. Residents of Reni and surrounding villages heard a series of explosions.
The blast wave also damaged the windows of buildings and structures in the Reni port. There were local outbreaks, which the rescuers promptly eliminated.
According to the spokeswoman of the Defense Forces of Southern Ukraine, Nataliya Gumenyuk, three enemy "Shakhed" were shot down by the forces and means of air defense, but there were also hits.
"Unfortunately, one of the ports was hit. An agricultural hangar in which grain was stored was destroyed there. Several tanks for other types of cargo were damaged, port facilities were damaged, i.e. cranes, etc.," she said.
Consequences and victims
As a result of the attack, three grain warehouses were destroyed. In addition, seven people were injured. According to Oleh Kiper, the head of Odesa RMA, all of them are port workers.
"One of them is in serious condition, in intensive care. His condition was stabilized. Now doctors are preparing to transfer him to a highly specialized medical facility. Another injured person is in a condition of medium severity," he said.
Kiper added that the other three people had light shrapnel wounds and bruises on their bodies.
The port "Reni" is located near the border with Romania
It is worth noting that the Reni port is located 300 meters from the border with NATO member Romania. The border runs along the Danube fairway.
The country's president Klaus Iohannis has already reacted to the attack.
"I strongly condemn Russia's recent attacks on Ukrainian civilian infrastructure on the Danube, very close to Romania. This recent escalation poses serious security risks in the Black Sea. It also affects the further transit of grain through Ukraine, and thus global food security," he wrote on Twitter.
I strongly condemn the recent Russian attacks against the Ukrainian civilian infrastructure on #Danube, very close to Romania. This recent escalation poses serious risks to the security in the #BlackSea. It also affects further UA grain transit & thus the global food security.
— Klaus Iohannis (@KlausIohannis) July 24, 2023
International reaction
Moldova has condemned recent Russian attacks on Ukrainian civilian infrastructure along the Danube, located near the border with Romania.
"This brutal attack creates significant risks for Ukrainian grain exports and regional and global food security," the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Moldova said in a statement.
Moldova condemns the recent Russian attacks targeting Ukrainian civilian infrastructure along the Danube, located near the border with Romania. This brutal attack poses significant risks to Ukraine's grain exports and the regional and global food security.
— MFA Moldova (@MoldovaMFA) July 24, 2023
BILD military analyst Julian Repke also commented on the attack on the Reni port.
"Russia continues to systematically attack Ukraine's food infrastructure. Last night it attacked a port in the far southwest of the country, destroying grain again. Putin is following in Stalin's footsteps with his infamous Red Terror," he wrote.
Attacks on ports in Odesa region
After withdrawing from the "grain agreement", Russia has been launching missile strikes on Odesa and the region almost every night. Also, the enemy uses kamikaze drones and missiles of various types to strike the Kherson and Mykolaiv regions, resulting in the deaths and injuries of civilians.
All last week, Russian troops attacked the port infrastructure of Odesa and the region. At the same time, not only ports suffered, but also residential buildings.
In particular, last night, July 23, Russian troops fired 19 missiles of various types in the center of Odesa. Air defense forces of the AFU shot down 9 of them. That attack on the city became the most massive since the beginning of the full-scale war. As a result of the attack, 22 people were injured, one died. The Savior and Transfiguration Cathedral was also partially destroyed.
On July 21, Russia hit grain terminals with Kalibr missiles. 100 tons of peas and 20 tons of barley were destroyed, two people and an emergency service technician were injured.
