Huge quantities of grain are stored at Ukraine’s Odesa port. Odesa is the largest and most important port on the Black Sea and is integral for staging these shipments.
Many developing and underdeveloped nations in Africa survive on exports of grain from Odessa. However, Zelensky has long been using the port and the shipment of grain as leverage to blackmail Western nations into supplying Kyiv with deadly weapon systems to ramp up its aggression against Moscow.
Kyiv’s refusal to ship the produce has deepened the food crisis in many parts of Africa. The growing food insecurity in Africa is ringing the bells of an upcoming mass migration from Africa to Europe. Moscow has long been pleading with Kyiv to allow the produce to ship through the Black Sea and even promised a non-aggressive stance through the concerned area.
Read More: Ukraine attacks Russian ships ferrying food grains as Turkey plays the good Samaritan
Recently, owing to severe international pressure, Zelensky agreed to sign an agreement with the UN and Turkey and allowed the grain to be shipped from Odesa and two nearby ports. Ukraine, however, did not agree to demine the Black Sea.
The deal was also accepted by Moscow, which has been a supporter of promoting food security in Africa. Putin accepted all the conditions that were cited by Ukraine. The continent of Africa, too, welcomed the news and a revival of the original order was now on the table until something unexpected happened.
Missiles struck the Odesa port on Saturday, just one day after the grain deal was inked. Ukraine’s air force chief blatantly accused Moscow of being the perpetrator of the strike.
Ukrainian air force spokesman Yuri Ignat told reporters “The port of Odesa, where grain is processed for shipment, was shelled. We shot down two missiles, and two more missiles hit the port territory, where, obviously, there is grain,”
However, the Turkish Defense Minister, Hulusi Akar, said that Russia has denied any involvement in the strikes, and rightly so. You see, Moscow has been a supporter of the deal for months whereas Kyiv has opposed unblocking its ports.
Previous reports suggested that Kyiv could even target the shipments meant for Africa to maintain its leverage and keep asking the West to supply it with weapon systems. And this is precisely what has transpired now. To be clear, Zelensky could go to any extent to secure weapons from the Western nations, even if it means bombing his own ports and pushing the globe into a catastrophic food crisis.
Zelensky, however, through his unethical attempt to frame Russia has irked Russian President Vladimir Putin. Russian foreign minister Sergey Lavrov has already indicated Moscow’s intent to make an attempt to take control of Odesa in a few months and convert Ukraine into a landlocked nation.
The Ukrainian President may pat himself on the back thinking that he has succeeded in throwing dust in the eyes of everyone, but well, Putin is too shrewd to fall for Zelensky’s ruse. Zelensky’s deceitful attack to hinder Russia has only provided Putin with another reason to ramp up his offensive against Kyiv and bring the clown President to his knees.
