Ukraine’s original “peace formula” included restoring Ukraine’s territorial integrity and security commitments, but details of Zelensky’s current plan have not been made public.
“This war must end,” Oleksandr, another resident of the Odessa region, told the BBC. “It was hard, it was bloody, it felt like it was spiraling, but now it feels like the level of violence and destruction is increasing.”
“Russia must stop.”
He saw flashes of that and then felt another wave of attacks earlier this week, and finds Russia’s new attacks on Ukraine’s attempts to maintain grain exports particularly disturbing. “This is a different level,” he said.
“Russian ballistic missiles are getting better, but air defenses are lacking and have a lot of promise. But the situation is getting worse. And as we see, more people are dying.”
According to Ukrainian statistics, more than 20 civilian ships have now been damaged by Russian attacks since the war began in 2022. Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha appealed to “responsible states” to ensure freedom of navigation and food security.
Grain silos and other port infrastructure were also severely damaged. Last week, the port of Ismail was hit by a drone attack near the Danube, while the Romanian border and grain facilities were damaged.
But Ukraine has succeeded in creating a maritime corridor to ensure the safety of its grain exports after Moscow withdrew from the Black Sea grain trade last year.
The Kyiv Agriculture Ministry said about 962,000 tons of grain had been exported so far this month. This is double the amount exported in the same period last year.
