Ukraine: why the Danube has become the target of Russian shelling

In the south of Ukraine, the bombardments are incessant. Izmaïl and Reni, port cities located 250 kilometers from Odessa, are the new targets of this Russian surge. The two small towns, so far spared by the war, are now constantly harassed, marked by explosions. Last night, one person died according to local governor Oleg Kiper, also reporting damage to port and agricultural infrastructure. The two municipalities are bordered by the Danube, where Ukraine has a second line of border with Romania.

Since the Russian withdrawal from the Black Sea agreement on grain exports on July 17, Kiev has decided to send its goods through this route to dodge the Russian blockade which is suffocating it economically. Izmail and Reni have indeed become the main channels for agricultural exports from Ukraine. A kind of plan B in the face of Moscow’s unstable behavior.

Gutted trucks, destroyed cereals and infrastructure at a standstill

On images taken by press agencies, including AFP, the lines of trucks loaded with Ukrainian cereals have been lengthening since this summer near the two small port cities. It is precisely these that are targeted by Russian fire. Other shots show trucks gutted by Russian strikes. Thousands of tons of goods have already been destroyed in strikes since July. At the beginning of August, forty thousand tons of cereals expected in China, Israel and also in African countries were damaged.

This Monday, September 6, Ukrainian air defenses shot down 17 Russian drones in the Izmail district and debris fell into the Danube. “Several fires broke out in the territory due to falling debris” after the drones were shot down, the governor added, adding that the fires were subsequently extinguished. The shelling does not stop, it seriously damages the ability of Ukrainian Danube ports to export. And for good reason: many infrastructures had to shut down after the damage caused by the strikes. Today, these river ports still provide nearly 25% of Ukrainian grain exports. They also represent an unexpected resistance against the blockade and the economic war waged by the Kremlin, kyiv’s competitor on the agricultural market.

Attacks “very close” to the Romanian border

Problem: the two towns of Reni and Izmaïl located right next to the border with Romania, a NATO member country. Only two hundred meters separate the two countries. This Tuesday, September 5, Romanian President Klaus Iohannis declared that attacks targeting Ukraine occurred “very close” to the border with his country. “We had attacks […] which have been identified 800 meters from our border. So very, very close,” Klaus Iohannis said at a press conference alongside Luxembourg Prime Minister Xavier Bettel.

On Monday, Ukraine claimed to have evidence that Russian explosive drones had fallen overnight from Sunday to Monday in Romania. Bucharest had “categorically” denied these allegations, through the voice of its Ministry of Defense which says “monitor the situation in real time”. “There was no debris, no drone or other piece of equipment that landed in Romania,” Klaus Iohannis insisted on Tuesday. “We have total control of our airspace. We have absolutely checked everything and I can reassure the population”. “But yes, we are worried because of the very close proximity” of these repeated attacks, he added.

Bucharest has reinforced its border in some places. However, Russia had never struck so close to an Atlantic Alliance territory (barely two hundred meters from the port of Izmail) at the risk of a more direct confrontation with Europe and the United States. .