ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Ukraine’s air defenses shot down Iranian-made drones over Kyiv early on Tuesday morning, marking the sixth drone attack on the Ukrainian capital this month.
"Last night, the enemy attacked Kyiv with attack UAVs. The air raid alert lasted three hours. According to preliminary information, the enemy used Iranian-made Shahed loitering munitions,” Ukraine's state media cited Serhii Popko, head of the Kyiv City Military Administration, as saying.
“Air defense forces and means detected in a timely manner and destroyed all air targets as they approached Kyiv," he added.
This comes a day after Russia launched a barrage of Shahed drones on a port in the Odessa region, destroying a grain hangar.
"Tonight an almost four-hour attack by 'Shahed-136' drones was directed at the port infrastructure of the Danube,” Ukraine’s southern military command posted on Telegram on Monday.
Videos on social media could show the aerial attack on the port being seen from Romania, around 200 meters across the Danube from Ukraine.
Romanian President Klaus Iohannis condemned the attack and its proximity to the country which is a member of NATO and the European Union.
I strongly condemn the recent Russian attacks against the Ukrainian🇺🇦 civilian infrastructure on #Danube, very close to Romania🇷🇴. This recent escalation pose serious risks to the security in the #BlackSea. It also affects further UA grain transit & thus the global food security.
— Klaus Iohannis (@KlausIohannis) July 24, 2023
Russian attacks on the Odessa region have increased since Moscow withdrew from the crucial Black Sea grain deal last week. Ukraine has repeatedly accused Russia of targeting its infrastructure and grain hangars in order to prevent resumption in exports.
Russia is the world’s top wheat exporter and Ukraine is known to be the breadbasket of Europe, with the Middle Eastern states heavily relying on Ukrainian agricultural products. Further disruptions to exports threaten global food security.
