Russia defence ministry says navy carried out live fire 'exercise' in Black Sea

Russia's navy carried out a live fire "exercise" in the northwest Black Sea, Moscow's defence ministry said Friday, two days after the Kremlin said it would consider ships travelling to Ukraine through the waterway carriers of military cargo, and therefore legitimate targets.

A ship carrying grain under the Black Sea Grain Initiative waits in the southern anchorage of the Bosphorus in Istanbul, Turkey, 15 July 2023. Russia has warned that any ship entering the Black sea headed to Ukrainian ports will be considered to be carrying military cargo. to © Mehmet Caliskan/Reuters

The Black Sea Fleet "carried out live firing of anti-ship cruise missiles at the target ship in the combat training range in the northwestern part of the Black Sea", Russia's defence ministry said in a statement on Telegram.

"The target ship was destroyed as a result of a missile strike," it said.

At least two people died and more than 20 people were wounded after Russia hit the Ukrainian port cities of Odesa and Mykolaiv with missiles and drones overnight Wednesday.

In addition to port infrastructure, Russia also hit civilian targets, including residential and administrative buildings, according to Ukrainian authorities.

Kyiv said Wednesday that previous strikes on Odesa had destroyed 60,000 tonnes of grain meant for export, and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky accused Russia of "deliberately" targeting the supplies.

Pressure on grain deal 

Russia has been bombarding the ports for three days since it announced Monday it would not renew the Black Sea grain initiative. 

The deal was negotiated last July to allow safe passage to ships carrying Ukrainian wheat and other foodstuffs despite Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

• France slams Russia's suspension of Black Sea grain deal as 'blackmail'

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday accused the west of "perverting" the grain deal, while repeating a Russian offer to return to it if it can secure guarantees for its own food and fertiliser exports.

Western countries say Russia has had no difficulty selling its food, which is exempt from financial sanctions, and is trying to use its leverage to force other concessions.

Both Ukraine and Russia are among the world's biggest exporters of grain and the United Nations says blocking Ukrainian exports could cause a worldwide food crisis.

All ships as military targets?

No ships have sailed from Ukrainian ports since the announcement, and Ukraine is hoping to resume exports using alternative route via the waters of neighbouring Romania.

Russia's Defence Ministry said Wednesday that as of Monday, all ships travelling to Ukrainian ports would be “considered as potential carriers of military cargo".

The United States said the threat indicates that Moscow might attack civilian shipping.

"We believe that this is a coordinated effort to justify any attacks against civilian ships in the Black Sea and lay blame on Ukraine for these attacks," said White House National Security Council spokesperson Adam Hodge.

Ukraine's Defence Ministry has said that as of Friday it would consider all ships travelling to Russian and Russian-occupied ports on the Black Sea as potential carriers of military cargo, and that the Ukrainian armed forces had the means to repel what it called Russian aggression at sea.

(with newswires)