The Crimean Kerch Bridge was closed on Monday after a “sudden emergency” caused the deaths of two people, a mother, and her father. Their daughter was also injured, according to the Telegram announcement by the region’s Governor.
“This morning we heard about the emergency which occurred on the Crimean Bridge. Vyacheslav gladkov wrote: “We all saw on the internet a video of a damaged vehicle with Belgorod registration plates.”
“The girl was injured moderately… the hardest thing is that her parents both died.”
The blasts left behind twisted metal barriers, debris, and a damaged car on the 12-mile Kerch Bridge, a major supply route for Russian troops fighting against Ukraine.
This is the second major incident to occur on the bridge within the last year. In October 2022 the bridge was closed in part due to an explosion. In February, the bridge was fully reopened.
Moscow blames Ukraine, while in Kyiv they talk about Russian provocation.
The Bridge reopened Tuesday to traffic in part.
Other news includes the withdrawal of Russia from a deal which exports millions of tonnes of grain to countries around the world. This could put food supplies in danger.
UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres said that he regrets “deeply” the decision of Russia to leave the Black Sea grain agreement.
He said, speaking from the UN offices in New York: “Today’s Russian Federation decision will strike a major blow to people in desperate need everywhere.”
“Hundreds of millions are facing hunger, and consumers face a global crisis of cost of living.” They will pay for it.”
He said the halting of the deal meant that a related pact, between Moscow and UN, to facilitate Russia’s grain and fertilizer exports had also been terminated. “Our main focus is to advance global food security and food price stability,” said he.
The President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Monday that Ukraine was prepared to continue grain deliveries after Russia pulled out of a landmark agreement brokered by Turkey and the UN in order to unblock deliveries.
“Even if the Russian Federation does not exist, we must do everything to use this Black Sea Corridor. We are not scared. We have been contacted by companies who own ships. They said they were ready to continue shipping,” Zelensky stated in comments posted on social media by his spokesperson Sergiy Nykyforov.
Recep Tayyip Erdoan, President of Turkiye said that he believes Russian President Vladimir Putin wants to extend the “grain deal”. He intends to discuss this with him.
CNN Turk and Anadolu reported that Erdogan said before going to Saudi Arabia on an official visit that the Black Sea grain project has already made history as a significant diplomat success and has enabled the transportation of more than 33 million tons grain, preventing shortages of food in many countries.
“Despite today’s statement, I believe that Russian president Putin wants this humanitarian link to continue,” Erdogan said. He added that he could “take steps via phone call with Putin, without waiting until August,” [when the Russian head of state is expected to pay a personal trip to Turkiye].
Ukraine cargo insurance policy suspended following Russia’s withdrawal from landmark grain deal
Broker Marsh told Reuters that a cargo insurance facility covering Ukraine grain shipments via a secure sea corridor was suspended after Russia left the United Nations-backed accord.
The United Nations has warned that Moscow’s withdrawal from the grain export agreement, which lasted for a year, could lead to hunger in the world.
Ascot, a Lloyd’s of London insurance company, was the lead underwriter for this marine cargo and war facility. Other underwriters also participated.
David Roe, Marsh’s head of UK cargo, who acted as the facility broker, said that “it is currently on hold.”
The agreement has not been extended, so it is suspended.
“Without a corridor in place, the risk is increased.”
To ensure that shipments can pass through the corridor, insurance is essential.
Official: Russian bombing of Ukraine’s ports threatens those who depend on Ukrainian food exports
Overnight Tuesday, drones and missiles attacked the port cities of Odesa and Mykolaiv in southern Ukraine. Donetsk, Kharkiv and the eastern regions were also targeted.
The attacks occurred a day after Russia backed out of a grain deal at the Black Sea, a decision that upset agricultural markets, and caused the price of corn, wheat and other food commodities to spike.
A top Ukrainian official warned that the missile and drone attacks by Russia on Ukraine’s grain export ports are a threat to the millions of people in the world who depend on Ukrainian exports as their food.
Reuters cited Andriy Yermak as the head of Ukraine’s presidential staff saying that the overnight attacks were “further evidence that the country-terrorist wanted to endanger 400 million lives in various countries who depend on Ukrainian exports of food.”
Tuesday morning, Moscow announced that it had launched a “massive revenge strike” against two Ukrainian port cities after an attack by Kyiv on the Kerch Bridge. Before the war, Russia and Ukraine exported 25 percent of the world’s grains. A large number of countries that depend on Ukrainian grain exports come from the Middle East and Africa.
The UN said that Russia’s withdrawal Monday from a historic grain deal mediated by the UN is “a blow for people in need”.
South African leader: arresting Putin in Johannesburg next month will be ‘war.’
According to the Associated Press, South Africa’s President said that arresting Russian president Vladimir Putin if he shows up at a Johannesburg economic summit next month would be a “declaration war” by his nation.
The August summit brings together Brazil, Russia India, China, and South Africa – a group of developing economies called BRICS. Officials have stated that Putin wants attend the gathering, but they are trying to convince him to stay away in order to avoid the legal or diplomatic fallout from his international arrest warrant.
The International Criminal Court has issued a warrant for arrest of Putin in relation to alleged crimes committed during the Russian invasion of Ukraine. South Africa, as a signatory of the Rome Statute which established the ICC would be obligated by the statute to arrest Putin if he visited the African nation.
The Democratic Alliance, South Africa’s largest political opposition party, has attempted to force the government of President Cyril Ramaphosa to promise to arrest Putin through a High Court action in Pretoria.
In a strongly-worded affidavit filed with the court and made public on Tuesday Ramaphosa reiterated that such an act against Putin could also derail efforts to end any war in Ukraine.
“I must emphasize, for transparency’s sake, that South Africa has evident problems with executing an order to arrest and surrender president Putin,” he said. “Russia has made clear that arresting the sitting president of its country would be a declaration war.”
Ramaphosa said that it would be against our Constitution to engage in a war with Russia.
Compiled by Ana Dumbadze
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