Russian missile attacks leave few options for Ukrainian farmers looking to export grain

economictimes.indiatimes.com:

grain across the southern Ukrainian steppe and away from the shards of three Russian cruise missiles that struck the unassuming metal hangars. The agricultural company Ivushka applied for accreditation to export grain this year, but the strike in mid-July destroyed a large portion of the stock, days after Russia abandoned the grain deal that would have allowed the shipments across the Black Sea without fear of attack. Men shirtless and barefoot, with blackened soles from ash, swept unburnt grain into piles and awaited the loader, whose driver deftly steered around twisted metal shrapnel, bits of missile and craters despite his shattered windshield.

They hoped to beat the next rain to rescue what was left of the crop. According to the Odesa Regional Prosecutor's Office, Russia struck the facility July 21 with three Kalibr- and Onyx-class cruise missiles. «We don't have a clue why they did it,» explained Olha Romanova, the head of Ivushka.

Romanova, who worked in the debris alongside the others, wore a red headscarf and an exhausted expression and was too frazzled to even estimate her losses. She cannot comprehend why the Russians targeted Ivushka, as there are no nearby military facilities and the frontlines are far from the village in the Odesa region. «They spent so much money on us,» she said, puzzled.

The missiles that ruined the silos are worth millions of dollars — far more than the crop they destroyed. But Ivushka wasn't the only target in Odesa. The main port also was struck, leaving Black Sea shipping companies that relied upon the grain deal to keep them safe and food supplies flowing to the world at a standstill.