On August 16, Russian drone strikes damaged grain silos and warehouses at the Ukrainian river port of Reni on the Danube, which has become a vital wartime route for Ukrainian grain exports, senior officials told Reuters.
Photos released by the governor showed the destroyed metal walls of storage facilities and piles of scattered grain and sunflowers.
After leaving the Black Sea Grain Initiative, which promised safe passage for Ukraine's agricultural exports despite the invasion, Russia has imposed a de-facto blockade in the Black Sea region and escalated the war by continuously attacking Ukraine's grain infrastructure and secondary export routes, one of which is the Danube River.
An industry source told Reuters the port continued to operate after the attack.
U.S. looks for new routes for Ukrainian grain
On August 15, the Wall Street Journal reported the U.S. was in talks with Türkiye, Ukraine and Kyiv’s neighbors to increase the use of alternative export routes for Ukrainian grain.
The U.S.-backed plan involves increasing capacity for Ukraine to export 4 million tons of grain a month via the Danube River by October. Much of the grain would be sent down the river through the Black Sea to nearby ports in Romania and shipped onward to other destinations. Though slower and more expensive, the route would work as an alternative to a Black Sea shipping corridor.
WSJ noted creating alternative routes shows the U.S., EU and Ukraine are preparing for a scenario in which Russia doesn't rejoin the Black Sea grain deal.
The WSJ report also quoted a Washington official as saying the U.S. is considering all potential options, including military solutions, to protect ships traveling to and from Ukrainian ports on the Danube. The official declined to specify those options.
