Russian drones attacked Kyiv and damaged infrastructure at the port in Odesa on Tuesday night in the latest attack on the Black Sea coastal city since Moscow withdrew from a grain deal last month.
Ukraine’s Air Force said it had intercepted 23 Shahed drones during the night, mostly in Odesa and Kyiv.
All 10 drones directed at Kyiv were intercepted, said Serhii Popko, head of the city administration.
Loud explosions were heard overnight as air defence systems were activated. Debris from felled drones hit three districts of the capital, damaging a non-residential building, Mr Popko said.
The Ukrainian army said it also repelled Iranian-made Shahed-136 drones launched from the Sea of Azov across the Black Sea aimed at the Odesa region.
But the attack resulted in damage to a grain elevator and a fire at facilities used to transport the country's grain exports.
Almost 40,000 tonnes of grain were destroyed, said Oleksandr Kubrakov, Vice Prime Minister for the Restoration of Ukraine and Minister for Communities and Territories Development and Infrastructure.
“The Russians attacked warehouses and grain elevators – almost 40,000 tonnes grain were damaged, which was expected by the countries of Africa, China, and Israel,” he wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter.
“The world must resist. Attacks on Ukrainian ports are a threat to the world. We can defend ourselves, and our air defence forces can use weapons effectively. We need more of it. Each air defence system saved a life. Speed and determination are the destiny of the strong ones.”
Operational Command South said the port and industrial infrastructure of the region was the “obvious target”.
“Air defence forces worked non-stop for almost three hours,” it wrote on Telegram.
Regional governor Oleg Kiper said there were no reports of casualties.
“As a result of the attack, fires broke out at the facilities of the port and industrial infrastructure of the region, and an elevator was damaged,” he said.
Mr Zelenskyy said the attacks showed Russia was intent on creating a “global catastrophe” by trying to affect food markets, prices and supplies.
“For the Russian state, this is not just a battle against our freedom and against our country,” Mr Zelenskyy said in his nightly video address.
“Moscow is waging a battle for a global catastrophe. In their madness, they need world food markets to collapse, they need a price crisis, they need disruptions in supplies.”
The attacks came as Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan told his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin in a phone call on Wednesday that he would continue to engage in diplomacy to reinstate the Black Sea grain initiative.
Mr Erdogan and Mr Putin agreed on the Russian president paying a visit to Turkey, the Turkish presidency's statement said.
“President Erdogan expressed the importance of refraining from steps that could escalate tensions during the Russia-Ukraine war, emphasising the significance of the Black Sea initiative, which he described as a bridge of peace,” the statement added.
Russia has been pounding Odesa, a centuries-old city and one of Ukraine's main ports, since Moscow withdrew from the grain deal last month.
The agreement, brokered by the UN and Turkey a year ago, had allowed Ukraine to keep exports flowing through its deepwater ports on the Black Sea to ease a global food crisis.
Russia quit the deal on July 17, complaining that sanctions on its own grain and fertiliser exports had not been eased, and warned that ships heading to Ukrainian seaports could be considered military targets.
As a result of the deal's collapse Ukrainian grain exports in July were down 40 per cent from June, analysts said on Tuesday.
Formerly obscure ports, Izmail and Reni, have become crucial to global food supplies and are struggling to process all the grain, causing a massive bottleneck.
The Danube River port of Izmail is now the main export route for Ukrainian agricultural products.
But these ports have also become targets.
In late July, Russian drones targeted Izmail, destroying a grain warehouse.
And on Sunday, Ukrainian media reported several foreign cargo ships had arrived at the port from the Black Sea for the first time since the expiration of the grain deal.
Last week, Kyiv said it lacks the means to defend itself against strikes on its grain infrastructure carried out by Russia, which is blocking “virtually all” Ukrainian ports, according to an army spokeswoman.
The attacks come a day after Russia said it downed a wave of Ukrainian drones aimed at Moscow, Crimea and vessels in the Black Sea. A skyscraper in Moscow's financial district was struck for the second time in days.
On Monday, Russia said it would intensify its strikes on Ukrainian military infrastructure in response to drone attacks on its territory, which it has blamed on Kyiv.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
What is the Supreme Petroleum Council?
The Abu Dhabi Supreme Petroleum Council was established in 1988 and is the highest governing body in Abu Dhabi’s oil and gas industry. The council formulates, oversees and executes the emirate’s petroleum-related policies. It also approves the allocation of capital spending across state-owned Adnoc’s upstream, downstream and midstream operations and functions as the company’s board of directors. The SPC’s mandate is also required for auctioning oil and gas concessions in Abu Dhabi and for awarding blocks to international oil companies. The council is chaired by Sheikh Khalifa, the President and Ruler of Abu Dhabi while Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed, Abu Dhabi’s Crown Prince and Deputy Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces, is the vice chairman.
The specs: 2018 Renault Koleos
Price, base: From Dh77,900
Engine: 2.5L, in-line four-cylinder
Transmission: Continuously variable transmission
Power: 170hp @ 6,000rpm
Torque: 233Nm @ 4,000rpm
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
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%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EName%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EQureos%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EUAE%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ELaunch%20year%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E2021%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ENumber%20of%20employees%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E33%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ESector%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ESoftware%20and%20technology%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFunding%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E%243%20million%0D%3Cbr%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
What is Folia?
Prince Khaled bin Alwaleed bin Talal's new plant-based menu will launch at Four Seasons hotels in Dubai this November. A desire to cater to people looking for clean, healthy meals beyond green salad is what inspired Prince Khaled and American celebrity chef Matthew Kenney to create Folia. The word means "from the leaves" in Latin, and the exclusive menu offers fine plant-based cuisine across Four Seasons properties in Los Angeles, Bahrain and, soon, Dubai.
Kenney specialises in vegan cuisine and is the founder of Plant Food Wine and 20 other restaurants worldwide. "I’ve always appreciated Matthew’s work," says the Saudi royal. "He has a singular culinary talent and his approach to plant-based dining is prescient and unrivalled. I was a fan of his long before we established our professional relationship."
Folia first launched at The Four Seasons Hotel Los Angeles at Beverly Hills in July 2018. It is available at the poolside Cabana Restaurant and for in-room dining across the property, as well as in its private event space. The food is vibrant and colourful, full of fresh dishes such as the hearts of palm ceviche with California fruit, vegetables and edible flowers; green hearb tacos filled with roasted squash and king oyster barbacoa; and a savoury coconut cream pie with macadamia crust.
In March 2019, the Folia menu reached Gulf shores, as it was introduced at the Four Seasons Hotel Bahrain Bay, where it is served at the Bay View Lounge. Next, on Tuesday, November 1 – also known as World Vegan Day – it will come to the UAE, to the Four Seasons Resort Dubai at Jumeirah Beach and the Four Seasons DIFC, both properties Prince Khaled has spent "considerable time at and love".
There are also plans to take Folia to several more locations throughout the Middle East and Europe.
While health-conscious diners will be attracted to the concept, Prince Khaled is careful to stress Folia is "not meant for a specific subset of customers. It is meant for everyone who wants a culinary experience without the negative impact that eating out so often comes with."
A MINECRAFT MOVIE
Director: Jared Hess
Starring: Jack Black, Jennifer Coolidge, Jason Momoa
Rating: 3/5
Living in...
This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.
THE BIO
Ms Al Ameri likes the variety of her job, and the daily environmental challenges she is presented with.
Regular contact with wildlife is the most appealing part of her role at the Environment Agency Abu Dhabi.
She loves to explore new destinations and lives by her motto of being a voice in the world, and not an echo.
She is the youngest of three children, and has a brother and sister.
Her favourite book, Moby Dick by Herman Melville helped inspire her towards a career exploring the natural world.
Red flags
- Promises of high, fixed or 'guaranteed' returns.
- Unregulated structured products or complex investments often used to bypass traditional safeguards.
- Lack of clear information, vague language, no access to audited financials.
- Overseas companies targeting investors in other jurisdictions - this can make legal recovery difficult.
- Hard-selling tactics - creating urgency, offering 'exclusive' deals.
Courtesy: Carol Glynn, founder of Conscious Finance Coaching
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
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Sunday's games
Liverpool v West Ham United, 4.30pm (UAE)
Southampton v Burnley, 4.30pm
Arsenal v Manchester City, 7pm
