STATEMENT BY THE HUMANITARIAN COORDINATOR FOR UKRAINE, DENISE BROWN, ON THE LATEST ATTACK HITTING UKRAINE’S DANUBE PORT
03 September 2023
I strongly condemn yet another Russian attack hitting port facilities in the Danube River, in Ukraine’s Odesa Region in the early hours of the morning. The strike not only caused damage to this crucial civilian infrastructure but also left port’s civilian workers injured.
Regrettably, this is not an isolated case. Repeated attacks on Ukraine’s ports since the Russian Federation’s decision to terminate the Black Sea Initiative create enormous challenges for Ukrainian farmers struggling to export their produce and the country’s ravaged economy. The pattern of attacks on the Danube’s ports and grain facilities is particularly concerning. They are now one of the main alternatives to ensure Ukrainian food reaches the global market, which is vital to prevent higher prices and increased hunger already affecting the poorest countries worldwide.
International humanitarian law is clear and prohibits attacks directed against civilians or civilian objects.
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Saviano Abreu
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