Russia accuses Ukraine of terrorism following escalation of attacks on shipping in Sea of Azov
July 14 (Reuters) – Russia on Tuesday accused Ukraine of terrorism over its escalating attacks on shipping in the Sea of Azov, a route that handles about a quarter of its grain exports.Ukrainian drones hit 11 Russian vessels in the Sea of Azov overnight, Kyiv’s drone forces commander said.In a statement on Telegram, Robert Brovdi said the targets included five tankers, five dry cargo vessels and a tugboat, bringing the total number of vessels struck in the past nine days to 116.The report did not specify any attacks on grain ships.Industry sources, who spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the matter, told Reuters that several grain ships were hit on July 13 and July 14 and caught fire.“They are standing there like targets before a firing squad.
In a couple of days, there won’t be a single intact boat left in the Sea of Azov, only damaged ones,” one of the sources told Reuters.“What the Ukrainian regime is doing goes beyond even piracy.Pirates, at least, plunder and keep the spoils for themselves,” Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said.“But here, it benefits neither them nor anyone else – the goal is simply to cause damage and intimidate.
It is terrorism, pure and simple,” Lavrov said.A Ukrainian military source told Reuters, “The Ukrainian Armed Forces strike only military targets or targets that contribute to strengthening Russia’s combat capability.“Civilian cargoes are not among them.By talking about attacks on civilian vessels, Russia is looking for a pretext to justify its cynical strikes on Ukrainian civilian infrastructure.”Russia has stepped up its strikes on Ukrainian Black Sea ports since the end of last year, and Ukrainian officials say ports in the Odesa region could see their monthly grain export capacity cut by as much as one-third.Shipping in the Sea of Azov remained restricted on Tuesday, according to Reuters sources.
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