Russia hits Danube grain port as Kyiv claims retaking eastern village

KYIV, Ukraine – Fresh Russian drones targeted Ukrainian ports on the mouth of the Danube river near the border with Romania early Wednesday, while Kyiv reported retaking the village of Urozhaine in Donetsk as part of its counteroffensive.

Warehouses and grain silos were damaged in one port overnight, the regional administration of Odessa said, without naming the exact location. Ukraine has two main ports on the Danube: Reni and Izmail.

Videos on social media meanwhile showed attacks on the port of Reni.

The blazes were extinguished by the fire brigade, Governor Oleh Kiper wrote on Telegram. No one was killed or injured, he said.

A total of 13 Iranian-made combat drones were shot down overnight over the Odessa and Mykolaiv regions, in the south of the country, the Ukrainian Air Force said.

Russia has been blocking Ukrainian grain exports via Odessa and other Black Sea ports since mid-July, following its withdrawal from the internationally-backed grain deal with Ukraine.

Recently, the ports on the Danube, some of which are located only a couple hundred metres from NATO member Romania on the opposite bank of the river, have started coming under attack.

Night-time drone attacks were also reported from the Kharkiv region in the east.

In Kyiv, the Ukrainian military said its forces had completely retaken the village of Urozhaine, which had been fought over for days, during its counteroffensive in the east.

“Urozhaine has been liberated. Our defenders are solidifying newly taken positions,” wrote Deputy Defense Minister Hanna Maliar on Telegram.

Urozhaine lies next to the village of Staromaiorske, which Kyiv retook about two weeks ago.

Meanwhile, Britain’s Defense Ministry said that Russia is now using homemade attack drones in its war against Ukraine.

The unmanned aerial vehicles are based on Iranian “kamikaze” drones of the Shahed type, which Russia has been deploying for months, the ministry said on Wednesday in its daily intelligence update.

“Indigenous manufacturing will likely allow Russia to establish a more reliable supply of (uncrewed aerial vehicles). The performance of these weapons has been variable,” the ministry wrote.