Shipowners halt calls at Ukraine's Black Sea ports, wary of Russian strikes

AI Summary

Shipowners stopped vessel arrivals at Ukraine's Black Sea ports due to intensifying Russian strikes targeting port infrastructure. Recent missile attacks, including one that killed 10 people on a corn cargo ship, threaten Ukraine's grain export corridors.

KYIV, July 23 (Reuters) - Shipowners halted vessel arrivals at Ukraine's Black Sea ports due to intensified Russian strikes, Kyiv said, as President Volodymyr Zelenskiy warned Moscow might escalate attacks in order to block the country's main corridor for grain exports. In recent weeks, Russia has pummelled logistics and port infrastructure in the southern Odesa region with missiles and drones. On Sunday, a missile strike on a ship carrying corn killed 10 people, mostly foreigners, Ukrainian officials said.