Ukraine grain depots hits by Russian drones

Subject: IR

Section: Places in news

Context:

Russian drones attacked a Ukrainian Danube river port and damaged grain silos and warehouses.

What is the issue:

Grain silos and warehouses were hit during successive Russian drone attacks on one of the country’s Danube river ports located near the border with Romania,
Ukraine has two main ports on the Danube – Reni and Izmail – which have become central to the country’s grain exports since Russia’s blockade of Ukraine’s Black Sea ports and Moscow’s recent withdrawal from a United Nations-backed agreement.
Danube river ports have become the main export route, with grain shipments sent on barges from Ukraine across the Danube to Romania and on to its Black Sea port of Constanta for onward shipment.

More about Danube Channel for Ukraine grain export:

The Danube delta has provided Ukraine with an alternative passage for its grain after Russia withdrew from the Black Sea grain deal
A key element in this ‘new’ trade pathway is the Sulina Channel, a 63 km long offshoot of the Danube River. It effectively connects significant Ukrainian river ports to the Black Sea, operating solely within Romania’s borders.
The Danube, the second longest river in Europe, has historically played a pivotal role in freight movement.
As it reaches Tulcea, Romania, around 80 km from the sea, it fans out into the Danube delta, characterized by three main channels: Chilia, Sulina, and St George.
Among these, the Sulina Channel stands out as the most suitable for transporting cargo due to its dredged and widened condition.
Serving as a riverine ‘expressway,’ it’s vital for transporting goods from the interior to the Black Sea.
Ukrainian grain-laden ships depart from Izmail and Reni, prominent Ukrainian ports along the mainstream (or Chilia Channel). Their route takes them to the Sulina port at the mouth of the Sulina Channel. From there, they navigate approximately 140 km south to reach Constanta, Romania’s largest seaport. At this juncture, cargo is transferred onto larger vessels, which carry it beyond the Black Sea into the Mediterranean via the Bosphorus straits. This route operates under the continuous surveillance and protection of NATO.

What was the Black Sea grain deal:

The deal was agreed through UN and Turkish mediation.
It established safe corridors along which Ukrainian ships can come in and out of three designated Black Sea ports in and around Odessa.
Under the initiative, cargo ships were allowed to travel from and to three Ukrainian ports of Odessa, Chornomorsk and Pivdennyi (Yuzhny), after inspection that they weren’t carrying arms.
The safe passage in the Black Sea was 310 nautical miles long and three nautical miles wide.
A control center was established in Istanbul, staffed by U.N,Turkish, Russian and Ukrainian officials, to run and coordinate the process.
Both sides also pledged not to attack ships on the way in or out