‘Without ports, Ukraine will be destroyed’: Odesa buckles under Russian bombs
The Straits Times
Odesa is Ukraine’s southern port city and a key logistics hub for the country. Read more at straitstimes.com.
ODESA, Ukraine – Looking out at the blue and yellow cranes towering over the Black Sea horizon, Mr Viktor Berestenko worries about the relentless Russian bombardment of Odesa, Ukraine’s southern port city.
“It’s war, every night,” the head of the Inter Trans logistics company told AFP.
The main gateway to the Black Sea and beyond, Odesa is a key logistics hub for Ukraine, one of the world’s top agricultural exporters.
Russia has intensified its attacks on the region – tripling the number of missile and drone strikes over the last year in what officials call an attempt to cut Ukraine off from the sea.
“Without ports, Ukraine will be destroyed,” said Mr Berestenko.
The escalation comes four years into Russia’s invasion, in which Ukraine’s maritime infrastructure has been a target for Moscow.
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