Russia is striking Black Sea ports. How does it impact the Ukraine grain deal?

Moscow has bombed several targets in Black Sea cities, such as the major port town Odesa, since the grain deal was reached last Friday. What's going on?

In the days following Russia and Ukraine’s grain deal with Turkey and the United Nations (UN), Moscow has launched a series of attacks in the Black Sea region where grain shipments have been stuck for months, putting the deal’s future into question.

The July 22 agreement will enable Kyiv to export 22 million tons of grain and other agricultural products trapped in Black Sea ports due to the war that started on Feb. 24. It is not yet clear when the exports will resume, but the UN said Monday could be in the coming days. Russia will also be able to move its grain and fertilizer.

The Black Sea strikes in light of the deal, which the UN’s top official described as a “beacon of hope,” is a stark reminder that Russia will not slow its war effort in Ukraine, said Andrew Rasiulis, a defence expert with the Canadian Global Affairs Institute.

“In the middle of a war, there should always be concerns. This deal could be broken at any point in time that the Russians feel it’s in their interest to break the deal,” he told Global News.

“They’re not going to break treaties for the sake of breaking treaties. They do whatever is in their interest to do.”

Moscow has bombed several targets in Black Sea cities, such as the major port town Odesa, since the grain deal was reached last Friday.

The latest strike came on Tuesday, when Russia hit private buildings and port infrastructure in Odesa and Mykolaiv with air strikes. Russia previously attacked Odesa’s port over the weekend, hitting what it called a military boat with cruise missiles on Sunday.

On Saturday, two Russian cruise missiles hit the port’s infrastructure and Ukrainian air defences brought down two others, the Ukrainian military’s Southern Command said at the time. It didn’t specify the damage or say whether the strike caused casualties.