Ukraine has officially appealed to the International Maritime Organization (IMO) to urgently send an international monitoring mission to Odesa ports amid the escalation of Russian terror, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine Andriy Sybiha has said Wednesday.

"Ensuring freedom of navigation in the Black Sea is our common goal and one of the key priorities of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Today I can report that against the background of escalated Russian terror, Ukraine has officially appealed to the International Maritime Organization to urgently send an international monitoring mission to the ports of Big Odesa," he told a press conference with the foreign ministers of the North-Baltic Eight countries in Odesa.

Sybiha emphasized that Russia chooses civilian ships, grain storage facilities, and terminals as targets for strikes, which is a blow to Ukraine's economy and global food security.

"Russia is putting millions of people in the world at risk of starvation," the minister underlined.

He also said that during the full-scale invasion, Russia has attacked Ukrainian ports more than 50 times, causing damage to more than 300 port infrastructure facilities and 23 civilian vessels, and the destruction of more than 100,000 tonnes of agricultural products.

"Last month alone, four ships were damaged, including those carrying grain cargoes for Egypt and corn for Italy, as well as humanitarian cargoes of the UN Food Program for Palestine," the minister said.