Attacks on Ukrainian grain facilities
Russian drones targeted infrastructure in southern Ukraine on Wednesday, inflicting damage but no casualties, according to the Ukrainian army.
Iranian-made “Shahed” (martyr) drones, launched from the Black Sea, hit the southern Odesa region at dawn.
“The enemy’s obvious target was the region’s port and industrial infrastructure. The air defence forces worked tirelessly for almost three hours,” explained the armed forces.
“The attack caused fires in industrial and port facilities, and an elevator was damaged,” it added. A grain silo was also reportedly hit.
Another major explosive drone attack targeted the capital Kyiv overnight.
Russian forces have repeatedly battered Ukraine’s Black Sea port infrastructure in recent weeks, especially in Odesa. Here vital Ukrainian grain was exported to the rest of the world.
These bombardments began in July after Moscow terminated a deal – brokered by the UN and Turkey – which allowed Ukraine to export 33 million tons of cereals, despite the Russian invasion.
A blockade has now been reinstated and both sides have warned they will attack ships heading to enemy ports.
River ports in the Odesa region bordering Romania have become the main alternative exit route for Ukrainian agricultural products since Russia torpedoed the deal.
But these sites have also become targets: In July, a river port in Reni was attacked by Russian drones.
Belarus violates Polish airspace – claims Warsaw
Poland said two Belarusian helicopters violated its airspace on Tuesday, revealing it would beef up its military presence on the border as a result.
Earlier Tuesday, the Polish army claimed the helicopters did not enter the NATO country’s airspace, though they later retracted this.
“The violation took place in the Bialowieza region at very low altitude, complicating radar detection,” Poland’s Defence ministry explained, adding “NATO has been informed of the incident.”
It also announced military personnel on the border with Belarus would be reinforced, claiming “hybrid attacks” could be launched against Poland.
Belarus’s Ministry of Defence called the accusations an attempt by Polish officials “to justify once again the increase in forces and means near the Belarusian border”.
Poland and its neighbours on NATO’s eastern flank have expressed concerns about the potential threat posed by Belarus, now home to the Russian mercenary group Wagner.
Speaking to Euronews on Monday, Dr Stephen Hall, lecturer of Russian politics at the University of Bath, warned of a possible Wagner attack from Belarus on Poland, which could cut off the Baltics from NATO.
However, he doubted such a “suicidal” step would be taken.
On Saturday, Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki claimed “one hundred Wagner mercenaries” had moved to the Polish border, calling this “a step towards even more hybrid attacks on Polish territory”.
“They will probably be disguised as Belarusian border guards, helping illegal immigrants to enter Polish territory, to destabilise Poland,” he claimed.
