Russian attacks on key bridge may affect Ukraine’s grain export plans

By Pavel Polityuk

KYIV (Reuters) – Russia launched two missile strikes and broken a strategic bridge in Ukraine’s Odesa area, state railways and native officers mentioned on Wednesday, an occasion that might have an effect on Ukrainian plans to broaden exports via Danube ports.

The bridge hyperlinks mainland Ukraine with a part of the Odessa area close to the mouth of Danube.

The bridge throughout the Dniester Estuary is part of the one absolutely Ukrainian-controlled railway path to Ukraine’s ports on Danube, which Kyiv thought to be a promising route for exports in a state of affairs the place Black Sea ports are blocked.

Ukraine, a serious agricultural producer, used to export most of its items via seaports however since Russia’s invasion in February has been compelled to export by prepare through its western border or through its small Danube river ports.

The primary assault was on Tuesday night, and on account of a rocket hit, the bridge over the estuary was broken, nevertheless, based on native officers, it may very well be rapidly restored.

The second blow was on Wednesday morning and the situation of the bridge has not but been reported.

The state-run Ukrzaliznytsia railways declined to remark.

“The railway department suffered, in fact. Impact is minus 150 or extra wagons/containers with metallic and grain per day,” Roman Rusakov, the consultant of Ukrainian agriculture ministry, informed Reuters.

He mentioned the share of grain cargoes in Izmail’s general shipments was not so excessive and “there might be no vital modifications”.

The railways knowledge confirmed that round 1,000 wagons with varied cargoes as of mid-April, together with 238 wagons with grain, had been at Izmail station, Ukraine’s main Danube port.

Ukrainian agriculture and transport officers have mentioned the nation is searching for to spice up the export capability of Danube river ports which permit grain to be shipped via the Danube to Romanian Black Sea ports.

European Union member Romania shares borders of the Black Sea with Bulgaria, Turkey, Georgia and Ukraine.

The Romanian Black Sea port of Constanta this week mentioned Ukraine had despatched round 80,000 tones of grains to the port to this point, with extra anticipated to reach.

The port, which has a storage capability of round 2 million tonnes dealt with exports of some 24 million tonnes final yr.

Ukrainian merchants say that within the absence of a direct railway route, grain deliveries will be carried out by already actively used street routes.

Grain will also be delivered from the north alongside the already present route via Moldova.

There was one other rail path to Izmail, passing via the territory of Moldova’s breakaway area of Transdniestria, however in early March a key bridge of the route was additionally blown up.

Ukraine accused Moscow on Tuesday of attempting to pull Transdniestria into its battle on Kyiv after authorities within the Moscow-backed area mentioned that they had been focused by a sequence of assaults.

(Reporting by Pavel Polityuk; enhancing by David Evans)