KYIV, UKRAINE — Grain terminals and port infrastructure in Ukraine were targeted in Russian attacks on the night of July 18 and 19, causing damage that will take at least a year to fully repair, according to the Ministry of Agrarian Policy and Food of Ukraine.

A significant portion of infrastructure of the port of Chornomorsk was knocked out, and 60,000 tonnes of grain also was destroyed, it said.

Grain infrastructure of international and Ukrainian traders and carriers such as Kernel, Viterra, and CMA CGM Group were damaged.

“This is a terrorist act not against Ukraine, but against the entire world,” said Mykola Solskyi, minister of agrarian policy and food. “The world’s food security is once again in danger. If we cannot export food, the population of the poorest countries will be on the edge of survival. The price of grain will rise, and not all countries will be able to afford the purchase of agricultural products, and it means that the price for food such as flour, cereals, and meat will rise considerably.”

This was the second attack on Ukrainian ports after Russia said it was leaving the Black Sea Grain Initiative that had allowed for the safe passage of 33 million tonnes of grain and other foodstuffs from Ukrainian ports.

The initiative was brokered in July 2022 by Turkey and the United Nations. Russia in recent weeks had threatened to not extend the deal unless a series of demands, including the removal of obstacles to Russian grain and fertilizer exports, were met.