Ukraine has officially appealed to the International Maritime Organization (IMO) to immediately send an international monitoring mission to the ports of Odesa amid intensified Russian terror.
Foreign Affairs Minister Andrii Sybiha announced this in a statement, the CFTS portal reports, citing the Interfax-Ukraine news agency.
"Ensuring freedom of navigation in the Black Sea is our common goal. Given the intensified Russian terror, Ukraine has formally requested that the International Maritime Organization urgently send an international monitoring mission to the ports of Greater Odesa," he said at a press conference with the foreign affairs ministers of the Nordic-Baltic Eight countries in Odesa.
Sybiha stressed that Russia is targeting civilian ships, grain storage facilities, and terminals, which is a blow to Ukraine's economy and global food security. "Russia is putting millions of people in the world at risk of starvation," the minister said.
According to him, there have been over 50 Russian attacks on Ukrainian ports since the start of the full-scale invasion, resulting in damage to over 300 port infrastructure facilities and 23 civilian ships, as well as the destruction of over 100,000 tons of agricultural products.
"In the past month alone, four ships have been damaged, including ships carrying grain to Egypt, corn to Italy, and the United Nations World Food Program’s humanitarian cargo destined for Palestine," Sybiha said.
