New Russian drone attacks on the Danube ports from Ukraine, near the Romanian border

Russia has attacked again the Ukrainian Danube ports near Romania’s border. The explosions were reported in the Danube ports of Reni and Izmail, in Ukraine. The images were filmed from the Romanian shore, from only a few hundred meters away. Grain silos and warehouses were damaged as a result of Russian attacks. Russia also announced that it shot down three Ukrainian drones in the Kaluga region.

It is the third time that the Russian military has attacked the Ukrainian ports on the Danube by air. There are images captured by witnesses opposite the Port of Izmail and you can see how the Ukrainian anti-aircraft is acting in an attempt to block the drone attack, most likely.

During this morning, around four o’clock, there were the first shots, followed by another series later. In the images, the anti-aircraft can be seen in action and immediately after, an extremely powerful explosion can be seen.

It would be about a massive grain silo, which was attacked. This is not the first time this has happened. And in the previous attacks on the Ukrainian ports on the Danube, grain silos were also attacked, significant quantities being destroyed at the time.

The Ukrainian air force declared on Wednesday that a large group of Russian army drones entered the mouths of the Danube and headed for the river port of Izmail, located near the border with Romania, reports Reuters. Social media groups reported hearing shots of air defense systems in the area near two Danube ports – Izmail and Reni.

The governor of the southern Odesa region, Oleh Kiper, told residents of the Izmail district around 1:30 a.m. to take shelter, but canceled the air raid alert an hour later.

A quarter of grain exports were transported through Ukrainian ports on the Danube before Russia withdrew from the UN-backed agreement that ensured safe transport on the Black Sea. Since then, the ports of Izmail and Reni have become the main exit route, the grain being sent on barges to the port of Constanţa to be shipped further. A Russian attack on the port of Izmail sent world food prices soaring in early August.

Container ship broke the Russian blockade on the port of Odessa

A container ship left the Black Sea port of Odessa on Wednesday morning, the Ukrainian government said, adding that it was using a new temporary corridor to and from its ports.

The ship Joseph Schulte has left the port of Odessa and is heading to Istanbul, Bernhard Schulte Shipmanagement (BSM) announced on Tuesday.

The vessel, jointly owned by a Chinese bank and Bernhard Schulte, uses the established corridor and passes through the territorial waters of Ukraine, Romania and Turkey “to allow safe passage of southbound vessels,” the BSM said in a statement.

“A first ship used the temporary corridor for commercial ships to/from the ports of Greater Odessa,” Deputy Prime Minister Oleksandr Kubrakov wrote on Facebook.He stated that the ship carries over 30,000 tons of cargo in 2,114 containers.

Ukraine last week announced a “humanitarian corridor” in the Black Sea to free cargo ships that have been stuck in its ports since Russia began its invasion on February 24, 2022.

Romanian MoD: Romania is not in danger

The Romanian Ministry of Defense conveys, in a press release, that Romania’s territory is not in danger, after the Russians once again attacked the Ukrainian ports of Ismail and Reni. “They did not identify threats of a military nature to the national territory or the territorial waters of Romania,” reports MApN.

The Ministry of National Defense strongly condemns the repeated attacks carried out by the armed forces of the Russian Federation against the areas inhabited by the civilian population and elements of the critical infrastructure of Ukraine. The war of aggression launched by Russian forces against Ukraine is a flagrant violation of international law, the press release states.

“Regarding the drone attacks, carried out last night, against the infrastructure of the Danube ports of Ismail and Reni, located near the borders of Romania, the structures of the Ministry of National Defense that ensure the monitoring of the airspace did not identify threats of a military nature to the national territory or territorial waters of Romania“, the Ministry of Defense transmits.

Romanian Transport minister: “We cannot force the Ukrainians to come and use the Romanian ports”

The Romanian Minister of Transport, Sorin Grindeanu, said in a press conference on Wednesday, about the latest Russian attacks on Ukrainian ports, that “we cannot force the Ukrainians to come and use the Romanian ports on the Danube, it being their decision”.

He added that the Romanian side is committed to increase the number of pilots, somewhere around 60 pilots, on the Sulina Canal, and to accelerate as much as the law allows, the project related to the navigability of the Sulina Canal, as in the end the European project of approximately 17 million euros to lead to navigability 24 hours a day.

“On Friday, I had a meeting with the representatives of Ukraine, there was also the US Embassy in Romania, the US Embassy in Kiev, and the European Commission. That was the point of the meeting, as the moment the situation at the Danube ports of Ukraine will continue in a scenario where all installations and activity will be affected, what are the solutions we can think of. We cannot force the Ukrainians to come and use the Romanian ports on the Danube, it’s their decision, it’s Ukraine’s decision”, said Sorin Grindeanu.

He stated that during the meeting he showed the advantages of using both the port of Galati and the port of Brăila. “More than that, I presented a plan related to the Danube ports, in the south of the country. Why? Using the railway infrastructure, you can take those train sets including to the ports in the south of the country and on the Danube, you can transport them to Constanţa and the Black Sea. That was the point of this meeting. There will be another meeting somewhere around September 15, in Constanta”, added Grindeanu.

FM Odobescu “firmly condemns” the Russian attacks on the Danube ports

Romania’s Foreign Minister, Luminița Odobescu, “strongly condemned” Russia’s attacks on “innocent people” and on ports in Ukraine, arguing they jeopardize the food security and navigation in the Black Sea.

I strongly condemn the continued RU attacks on innocent people, civilian infrastructure, including grain silos in ?? ports of #Reni & #Ismail. By these flagrant violations of int’l law RU continues to jeopardize ? food security & the safety of navigation in the Black Sea.

— Luminita Odobescu (@Odobes1Luminita) August 16, 2023