Inside Putin's push to rewrite Russian history in favor of his war in Ukraine
NBCAug 20, 2023
Russia Strikes Port Facilities in Odesa Ahead of Putin-Erdogan Talks
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Image copyright: Russian Presidential Executive Office via Wikimedia Commons
The Facts
Russia launched a wave of drone attacks on one of Ukraine's largest grain-exporting ports in the Odesa region on Monday — hours before Turkish Pres. Recep Tayyip Erdoğan met with Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin to discuss the resurrection of the now-collapsed gain deal.
Oleh Kiper, head of Ukraine's military administration in Odesa, said that 17 Russian drones were shot down by Ukrainian air defenses in the space of the three-and-a-half-hour attack. "Unfortunately, some targets were hit," he said, adding that warehouses and production facilities, as well as agricultural equipment, were damaged in the attack.
The Spin
Pro-Russia narrative
Russia's reasons for leaving the grain deal is that Western countries have not moved to lift the sanctions off of Russian grain and fertilizer exports as was initially agreed to when the deal was first struck. Russia has seen no promising signs that these promises would be fulfilled but remains open to reviving the deal if the export issue is resolved.
Pro-establishment narrative
Despite Russia's claims, Western countries have provided Russia with a comprehensive guide of how a series of exemptions had been issued on the country's grain and fertilizer exports. Russia is using the stoppage of the deal to seek more concessions.
