Russia intensifies war against food

 ISW:

Russian forces launched a third night of missile and drone strikes against port and grain infrastructure in southern Ukraine on July 20 following Russia’s withdrawal from the Black Sea Grain Initiative on July 17. The Ukrainian General Staff reported that Russian forces launched seven Onyx cruise missiles, four Kh-22 anti-ship missiles, three Kalibr sea-based cruise missiles, five Iskander ballistic missiles, and 19 Iranian-made Shahed drones.[1] The Ukrainian General Staff reported that Ukrainian air defenses destroyed 18 targets, including two Kalibrs, three Iskanders, and 13 Shaheds.[2] Spokesperson of the Ukrainian Southern Operational Command Captain First Rank Nataliya Humenyuk stated that Russian forces targeted port infrastructure in Mykolaiv and Odesa oblasts and noted that the strikes mainly affected warehouses and logistics facilities.[3] Humenyuk noted that Russian “blackmail and sabotage” of Ukrainian ports started shortly after Russian began its rhetoric about its conditions for the expansion of the grain deal.[4] The Russian Ministry of Defense (MoD) claimed that Russian forces struck Ukrainian manufacturing and storage facilities in Odesa City and Chornomorske in Odesa Oblast, and fuel infrastructure facilities and ammo depots in Mykolaiv City.[5] Ukrainian military officials reported that Russian forces destroyed the Odesa Seaport Administration building in the center of Odesa City and noted that residential buildings were damaged by the blast wave.[6] Ukrainian sources reported that Russian missile strikes also damaged a Chinese consulate building in Odesa City.[7]
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The Russian military announced that it may consider civilian ships in the Black Sea en route to Ukrainian ports legitimate military targets. The Russian Ministry of Defense (MoD) stated on July 19 that as of midnight Moscow time on July 20 Russian forces will consider all ships en route to Ukrainian ports as potential carriers of military cargo and will consider the flag countries of such vessels as “involved in the Ukrainian conflict on the side of the Kyiv regime.”[12] The Russian MoD declared a number of sea areas in the northern and southern parts of the Black Sea “temporarily dangerous for navigation” and claimed that it issued relevant warnings to sailors in the Black Sea about the withdrawal of safety guarantees.[13] The Russian MoD specified that these naval measures are connected to the termination of the Black Sea Grain Initiative and the curtailment of the maritime humanitarian corridor in the Black Sea.[14] The announcement prompted the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense (MoD) to announce on July 20 that as of midnight Kyiv time Ukrainian forces may treat all ships in the Black Sea heading to ports in Russia and occupied Ukrainian territories as military cargo vessels.[15] The Ukrainian MoD similarly stated that Ukrainian officials released relevant navigation information to seafarers.[16] US National Security Council Spokesperson Adam Hodge stated on July 20 that US intelligence indicates that Russian forces have laid additional sea mines in the approaches to Ukrainian ports.[17] Hodge added that the White House believes that Russia is engaging in a coordinated effort to justify possible attacks against civilian ships in the Black Sea and blame Ukrainian forces for the attacks.[18]

The Russian military’s intensifying strikes against Ukrainian port and grain infrastructure and threats of maritime escalation are likely a part of a Kremlin effort to leverage Russia’s exit from the Black Sea Grain Initiative and exact extensive concessions from the West. Russian President Vladimir Putin stated on July 19 that Russia is ready to return to the grain deal immediately if all previously agreed-upon conditions for Russia’s participation in the initiative are fulfilled and the parties restore the deal’s “original humanitarian essence.”[19] Putin accused Western countries of exploiting the grain deal so that European enterprises could profit at the expense of Russian businesses.[20] Putin claimed that elements of the grain deal led to a 30 to 40 percent discount on Russian grain on global markets, which caused Russian farmers to lose $1.2 billion and Russian fertilizer producers to suffer $1.6 billion in losses.[21] Putin stated that returning to the deal in its current form is pointless and called for the lifting of sanctions on Russian grain and fertilizer deliveries and the removal of obstacles for Russian banks servicing food supplies to the global market, including their connection to the Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunication (SWIFT) banking system.[22] Putin also called for the resumption of deliveries of components and spare parts for Russian agricultural machinery and fertilizer production, the resolution of issues with Russia ship chartering and insurance of Russian food exports, the renewal of operations for the Togliatti-Odesa ammonia pipeline, and the removal of blocks on Russian agricultural assets.[23]
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If Putin wanted to increase the profits for Russian grain he would stop his unnecessary war against Ukraine.  That war has led to sanctions that have impacted the Russian economy as a means of telling him to stop the aggression.

See, also:

 Ukraine Issues Its Own Ominous Black Sea Shipping Warning

A day after Russia threatened Black Sea shipping, Kyiv is now warning that all vessels in that body of water heading toward seaports in Russia or the territory it occupies “may be considered by Ukraine as carrying military goods with all the corresponding risks.”

The Ukrainian MoD also warned that “navigation in the areas of the northeastern part of the Black Sea and the Kerch-Yenikal Strait of Ukraine is prohibited as dangerous, from 5 a.m. [local time] on July 20. Relevant navigational information for mariners has already been published.”

That strait is spanned by the Kerch Bridge, Vladimir Putin's prized $4 billion span linking Russia to the Crimean peninsula it has occupied since 2014. The bridge was attacked Sunday for the second time since October.

Emphasizing that it has the capacity to defend those waters despite not having a significant naval presence, the Ukrainian Defense Ministry (MoD) raised the specter of the Russian Navy’s Project 1164 Slava class cruiser Moskva that was sunk with a pair of domestically-developed Neptune anti-ship cruise missiles in April 2022.

“The fate of the cruiser ‘Moscow’ proves that the Defense Forces of Ukraine have the necessary means to repel Russian aggression at sea,” the Ukrainian MoD said.

The warning was delivered a day after the Russian Defense Ministry said “all vessels sailing in the waters of the Black Sea to Ukrainian ports will be regarded as potential carriers of military cargo.” It also comes as the port cities of Odesa and Mikolaiv have been subjected to a third day of airstrikes. Ukraine claims that civilians died and 60,000 tons of grain were destroyed in those attacks.
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And:

 Russia steps up assault on Ukraine’s ports and threatens attack on ships

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Saying that Moscow was deliberately turning the Black Sea into a “danger zone”, Kyiv responded in kind by announcing that from Friday, ships heading for Russian ports – or Russian-occupied ports in Ukraine – would be treated in the same way, as if they are carrying weapons or other military cargo.

Washington called Russia’s threat a signal that Moscow might attack civilian shipping and said Moscow was also releasing new mines into the sea. “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,” White House National Security Council spokesperson Adam Hodge had said.
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And:

 Blasts Hit Military Base in Russian-Occupied Crimea

And:

 Putin is openly worrying about revolutions, saying Russia has already hit its 'limit'

And:

 Russian military leaders will likely start hiding critical information from Putin to save their own necks, researcher says

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"In this atmosphere of suspicion and uncertainty, where prominent generals disappear and Mr. Putin is quick to blame traitors, self-censorship among top military leaders is likely to become more prevalent," Massicot wrote in a New York Times op-ed.

She added that Russia's defense minister and a top general — both of whom have found themselves in hot water at various times in the war, especially in recent months — are "now even more dependent on Mr. Putin for their safety and positions," and "could be more likely to hide or soften bad news from the battlefield to keep his confidence."
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And

 A Russian soldier said his unit was sent into battle with no ammo and one grenade each — to kill themselves

And:

 Ukraine-Russia war: Ukraine launches first cluster bomb attack on Russian troops

And:

 Red Cross of Belarus admits stealing children from Ukraine

And:

 Ukraine's air defense is getting significantly worse in a key city, likely because it has too little ammo to stop all of Russia's missiles