MOSCOW/KYIV: Russia warned Wednesday that attacks on its grain and agricultural infrastructure were worsening global food shortages and could drive food prices higher, as Moscow and Kyiv traded strikes on key ports and export facilities on both sides of the Black Sea. Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova accused Ukraine of seeking to disrupt the global food market after a wave of Ukrainian strikes on Russia’s Black Sea port of Novorossiysk killed three people, including a child, and forced major grain terminals to halt operations.

Escalating Russian and Ukrainian attacks on vessels and port infrastructure have raised risks to commercial shipping across the Black Sea, disrupting grain and energy routes and…

The push for an alternative comes as Russia has stepped up attacks on Ukraine’s southern ports and shipping infrastructure.