Ukraine said any ships heading to Russian ports may be military targets, a tit-for-tat response to a threat from Moscow that escalates the war’s risk to global food markets.
Since Moscow halted the Black Sea agreement that allowed Ukraine to export part of its grain harvests, Russia has attacked Ukrainian grain storage facilities and warned that all vessels heading to Ukrainian ports would be considered potential carriers of military supplies.
The escalating threat to vital Black Sea trade steps up the risk of turmoil on global markets for everything from oil and food staples to fertilisers. Russia’s attack on its neighbour has already severely disrupted exports from Ukraine, a major producer of grains and vegetable oils.
Ukraine has previously attacked Russian ships in the Black Sea, sinking the flagship Moskva cruiser with a Neptune anti-ship missile soon after Russia’s invasion.
I don’t see this ending well for Russia. You have a few things that can happen. 1. They get called out and they are bluffing, making them look even weaker. 2. They attack and Ukraine sinks more ships making them look weaker. 3. They attack a cargo ship and this escalates one or more countries to take military action against them. 4. Nato works with Ukraine to find another way to export grain and sunflowers so Russia no longer has this as a bargaining chip. 5. They attack a ship from a major country (USA, UK, France, China) and all hell breaks out.