Ukrainian port of Odessa hit by explosions hours after grain deal

The Russian invasion of Ukraine is showing no signs of any solution but there was some good news as the two countries were able to reach an understanding about grain exports and inked a deal on Friday. However, the peace was short-lived as Ukraine accused Russia of targeting the port in Odessa on Saturday. According to a local MP Oleksiy Honcharenko, the city was hit with a number of explosions and the port also sustained damages. According to the deal agreed by both the countries, Russia promised to not target the ports in Ukraine or ships carrying grains. However, Honcharenko wrote on Telegram that Russia did not honour the understanding and even shot down Ukrainian forces in air combat.

"These scumbags sign contracts with one hand and direct missiles with the other," he wrote.

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"So, we need planes, and we need to sink the entire Black Sea fleet of the Russian Federation. This will be the best arrangement for the export of grain," he added on Telegram.

The crisis in Ukraine has severely affected the supply chain of food grains with the country accounting for a substantial part of the global grain exports. It has caused a lot of problems around the world with a number of countries facing acute food shortages in the recent past.

As a result, the agreement between the countries was seen as a welcome move in finding a middle ground in the crisis. The United Nations also hailed it as "a beacon of hope" in the situation.

However, the attacks on Odessa have increased tensions between Russia and Ukraine once again.