Exclusive: Russia strikes Odesa port terminal recently acquired by Swiss investor

A Russian missile strike damaged a key Ukrainian port terminal on Aug. 14 that was recently purchased by the world's largest shipping firm as Russia continues to terrorize Ukraine's seaports.

The attack damaged at least one warehouse at the TIS container terminal in Ukraine's Pivdennyi (Southern) Port complex, an agriculture-sector executive with knowledge of the matter told the Kyiv Independent under the condition of anonymity.

TIS's press service declined to comment on the attack.

The container terminal — where cargo containers are loaded and unloaded from ships, trucks, and trains — was purchased by the Swiss-headquartered Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC) in March in a deal that was highly praised as a rare high-profile foreign investment during the war. The details of the deal have remained undisclosed.

The strike comes the same day as Russia rejected the idea of reinstating the 2022-2023 Black Sea grain initiative. Kyiv and Moscow have exchanged strikes on ports and vessels recently, leading to growing concern of a global food crisis.

Turkey has attempted to mediate negotiations, having helped broker the original grain initiative, although Moscow has said Ankara has yet to send an official ceasefire proposal.

Reviving the framework of the grain iniative would be "ill-advised," Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakaharova told reporters on Aug. 14, accusing "the West" of using the deal to attack Russia.

She also claimed that Ukraine was currently conducting maritime terrorism and "escalating" the situation. Meanwhile, Moscow relentlessly attacks Odesa Oblast, particularly port infrastructure.

According to TIS, the terminal is the longest, deepest container terminal in Ukraine, capable of handling 8 million metric tons of cargo a year, including coal, containers, ore, grain, and fertilizers. It's co-owned by Andriy Stavnitser, a Ukrainian businessman who also owns the Superhumans Center, a specialist clinic for war veterans.

Over the last two months, Russia has stepped up its attacks on Odesa's seaports and civilian vessels in a bid to choke Ukraine's key trade route. Some 90% of the country's agricultural goods are exported via the Black Sea, accounting for 20% of the country's gross domestic product (GDP) before the full-scale invasion.

With Russia striking vessels 35 times in port waters and 22 times in the Black Sea during last month alone, ships are avoiding docking at Ukraine's ports, preventing agriculture and metallurgy businesses from exporting and importing goods.

The fallout of the attacks is already dire. Ukraine's exports fell to just 30% of its target in the first two weeks of August, Agriculture Minister Taras Vysotsky said at a briefing on Aug. 14. By November, the country could lose 10.8 billion euros ($12.5 billion) in blocked agricultural exports, according to the Agriculture Ministry.