Russia and Ukraine strike each other's grain export infrastructure

BAGHDAD, Iraq — Russian and Ukrainian forces traded strikes overnight at maritime facilities and transit points linked to grain exports, with casualties reported on both sides of the conflict. Russian officials said Ukrainian drones attacked four vessels in the Gulf of Taganrog in the Sea of Azov, including a tanker carrying methanol, killing one sailor. Authorities in the Rostov region said fires in Taganrog and Azov had been contained, sea traffic through the Don–Azov Canal linking the Don River to the Sea of Azov had been temporarily suspended, and the Kerch Strait connecting the Sea of Azov to the Black Sea had been closed. Russia's Defense Ministry said it had struck Ukrainian ports in the Odesa region, targeting Odesa, Chornomorsk and the port of Izmail on the Danube River. Odesa and Chornomorsk are among the main departure points for Ukrainian grain exports, while Izmail has become a key export route since traditional trade corridors were disrupted by the war. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Russia launched a nighttime attack on the capital Kyiv and several other regions using dozens of drones and missiles, injuring multiple people. Russia's Defense Ministry reported that 178 drones were shot down overnight after being detected over the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov.