Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Sibiga has issued a sharp warning to the international community, stating that the Russian Federation is trying to repeat the disastrous scenario of 2022.
According to the diplomat, by escalating attacks on civilian merchant ships and port infrastructure, Moscow is deliberately aiming to cause a shock increase in food prices globally and deepen the humanitarian crisis.
In a statement posted on the social network X, Sibiga recalled that in 2022, when Russia imposed an illegal blockade of Ukrainian seaports, the global food price index jumped by over 25%. This has led to acute food shortages for millions of families around the world, especially in the regions of Africa, Asia and the Middle East.
Systematic terror against freedom of navigation
“Russia is seeking to achieve the same result now by attacking civilian vessels in Ukrainian ports and along the Ukrainian sea corridor“, stressed Sibiga. He was categorical that the consequences for the world could be just as severe as at the beginning of the war.
The statement comes immediately after another serious incident in the Black Sea. On August 6, a Russian strike hit a cargo ship flying the flag of Guinea-Bissau, which was loaded with Ukrainian wheat. One Ukrainian citizen was killed in the attack, and three other crew members were injured. According to Ukrainian authorities, cited by international agencies, since the beginning of the full-scale invasion in 2022, Russian strikes have damaged or destroyed over 1,054 port infrastructure facilities and affected 232 civilian ships.
Searching for alternative export routes
Due to increased pressure and security risks in the Black Sea, Ukraine is forced to urgently seek expansion of land and river corridors for export through neighboring European Union countries. However, Ukraine's Agriculture Minister Taras Vysotsky warned that alternative routes would reach full capacity at the earliest by the end of August and would be able to cover only half of the volumes traditionally passing through the deep-water Black Sea ports.
Kiev called on the affected regions and the entire international community to increase diplomatic and economic pressure on Moscow to ensure freedom of navigation and prevent the use of hunger as a weapon in global politics.