UK: Russia’s Attacks on Ukrainian Ports Disrupt Food Aid to Gaza and Global Food Security

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer has accused Vladimir Putin of disrupting food supplies to Gaza after British intelligence reported that Russia has stepped up attacks on Ukrainian ports.

Starmer said that the Russian president was apparently ‘willing to play the global food security game’ after several grain ships bound for developing countries were attacked and damaged by Russian army missiles.

Military intelligence released by the UK government concluded that Russia had stepped up its attacks on Ukrainian port infrastructure in the Black Sea.

Between 5 and 14 October, according to intelligence, at least four merchant ships were hit by Russian missiles. These strikes detained a vessel carrying vegetable oil destined for the World Food Programme in Palestine.

The strikes on port infrastructure also affected grain-laden ships bound for Egypt, two ships carrying corn, and WFP cargo bound for South Africa.

 ‘Russia's indiscriminate attacks on ports in the Black Sea underscore that Putin is willing to bet on global food security in his attempts to force Ukraine into submission,’ the prime minister said in a statement.

‘In doing so, he is harming millions of vulnerable people across Africa, Asia and the Middle East to try to gain the upper hand in his barbaric war.’

This year, Ukraine's food and grain exports, which are carried mainly through the Black Sea, have almost recovered to pre-war levels after Kyiv established a special shipping corridor along its western coast and forced the Russian surface fleet to retreat with a series of drone attacks on Russian warships.

Before the Russian war, Ukraine was the world's seventh-largest exporter of wheat, most of which went to the Middle East, the largest producer of sunflower oil and a supplier of other essential foodstuffs.

In turn, Russia has repeatedly tried to impose a naval blockade to stifle Ukraine's economy. Starmer said that Russia is ‘stepping up attacks on areas of Ukraine that provide the global south with much-needed food.’

Russia has also been stealing grain from Ukraine on a massive scale during the war, and has made more than $1 billion from its sales on the global black market.

The UK government this week announced a £2.26 billion loan to Ukraine, to be paid for by interest accrued on Russian sovereign assets under sanctions. This is part of a commitment made by the UK at the G7 summit in June.