1/11/2024 0 Comments European dismantler![]() It is no coincidence that only 10 days ago Russia withdrew from the Black Sea Grain Deal and started targeting Ukrainian grain, thus reducing global supply and increasing grain prices.įor the West, the main impact might be a modest increase in bread prices, but for the world's poorest countries the impact will be devastating.Īfrican nations are likely to be the hardest hit. Last year 43 African nations were represented at the conference however, this year only 17 are attending. ![]() Russia is hosting the annual two-day Russia-Africa Conference in St Petersburg. Of those six countries, all but one - Somalia - voted against a UN resolution calling on Russia to end its invasion of Ukraine.īut as military analyst Sean Bell said in our 5.08pm post, Mr Putin's offer is just 1% of the total amount Africa needs. He said he intends to send up to 50,000 tonnes of grain to six countries: Burkina Faso, Zimbabwe, Mali, Somalia, Eritrea and the Central African Republic. The African Union chair's comments after President Putin said he hoped to "avert a global food crisis" by promising "no-cost" grain to certain African countries. In his closing address at the summit, Mr Assoumani also said the Russian president had shown readiness to negotiate with Ukraine, and that "the other side" needed to be persuaded. Important, but it may not be quite enough. Us in the field of grain supply," he said. "The President of Russia demonstrated that he is ready help Mr Assoumani said Vladimir Putin's offer of free grain to six African countries over the coming months is not enough. We're getting more lines from the Russia-Africa summit currently taking place in St Petersburg, this time from the chair of the African Union, Azali Assoumani. Mr Shoigu called troops away from their permanent bases specifically for the drills, even ordering them to leave their weapons at the Taganrog base. Its proximity to Ukraine is a factor Russia has tried to exploit even before it started its invasion.īack in April 2021 - 10 months before the start of the war - Russia's defence minister Sergei Shoigu ordered massive drills at the air base amid rising tensions with Ukraine. It adds: "It is also regarded as the likeliest location for the delivery of the Iranian Shahed drones that were responsible for a massive attack on January 26 in the Sea of Azov." This was an attack that saw Ukraine shoot down 24 drones. The Atlantic Council thinktank describes that air base as "the Russian air force coordination centre nearest to the Ukrainian border". It is also an important site for the Russian military - there is a large air base three miles away. One particular Russian attack destroyed around 60,000 tonnes of Ukrainian grain in one go. Taganrog may not be a particularly large port - but it's important to note that Russia repeatedly attacked grain storage facilities in and around the key Ukrainian port city of Odesa last week. ![]() Before the West imposed sanctions on Russia, trade vessels often travelled to and from ports in Turkey, Italy, Israel, Cyprus, Spain and Egypt. It serves ships sailing along the Azov, Black and Mediterranean seas. Today's explosion hit just over a mile away from the Taganrog commercial seaport, whose main cargoes are metal and coal. If these were indeed Ukrainian missiles, today's incidents are a signal that a Russian metropolis - home to over a million people - is within Ukraine's reach. Not only is Rostov-on-Don one of Russia's largest cities, but it was also a crucial launchpad for the assault by Russian and Wagner troops on the Donbas region. Like Taganrog, it's pretty close to Rostov-on-Don. ![]() The regional governor claims another Ukrainian missile was also shot down this afternoon over the town of Azov. In fact, it is the last major Russian settlement along the Sea of Azov, until you reach the Ukrainian border 30 miles away. Taganrog is relatively close to Ukraine's Donetsk region - territory Russia now claims. Kyiv has not yet commented on the attack.īut if Russia is to be believed, why might Ukraine have been targeting Taganrog? Moscow says it's a "terrorist attack" by Ukraine, but has not said anything about what they think Ukraine was aiming at. With any incident during this war, it's nearly always a question of Russia saying one thing, and Ukraine saying the other.Īs we've been reporting, Russia's military says the explosion in Taganrog, a Russian city about 30 miles from Ukraine's border, was caused by debris from a Ukrainian missile downed by air defence systems. ![]()
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