Russian strikes on Odesa port don’t impact grain exports: Kremlin

A firefighter in front of a burning residential building after shelling in Mykolaiv Monday. Pic/AFP

The Kremlin said on Monday that a Russian missile strike against the Ukrainian port of Odesa would not affect grain exports but said the United Nations must secure the removal of curbs on Russian exports for the landmark grain deal to work.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Russia had targeted military infrastructure in a missile strike on Saturday, just hours after Kyiv and Moscow had secured the conflict's first diplomatic breakthrough since February in a deal to restart crucial grain exports from Ukraine. "These strikes are connected exclusively with military infrastructure," Peskov said. "They are in no way related to infrastructure that is used for the export of grain. This should not affect - and will not affect - the beginning of shipments."

Russia continued shelling the entire frontline in the eastern Donetsk region, especially in Bakhmut, Ukrainian authorities said. As Ukraine prepares for its national day on July 28, President Volodymyr Zelensky said, "We will celebrate against all odds because Ukrainians won't be cowed."

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