Russia will consider cargo ships approaching Ukrainian ports on the Black Sea as ”possible carriers of military cargo,” the Russian Ministry of Defense announced on Wednesday, according to news agencies AFP, Reuters and dpa.

”The flag states of these vessels will be considered as parties to the Ukrainian conflict on the side of the Kyiv regime,” the announcement said, according to AFP.

The new rules will apply from Thursday.

The ministry also announced that parts of the Black Sea have now been temporarily declared dangerous for shipping.

The latest move from the Russian side comes after the country this week withdrew from the agreement that had previously allowed Ukraine to export grain via the Black Sea.

The agreement meant that grain could be safely shipped from Ukrainian ports in the Black Sea – despite Russian warships blocking the waters.

Russia’s withdrawal from the agreement has been met with international condemnation.

Poorer countries in Africa are particularly dependent on getting corn, wheat and other grains from Ukraine.

The government in the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv, has announced that it is ready to continue exports even though Russia has withdrawn from the agreement.

Mykhajlo Podoljak, advisor to the Ukrainian president, told AFP that the Ukrainian government is considering joint military patrols between the Black Sea-located countries.

Ukraine has not immediately commented on the latest announcement from Russia’s Ministry of Defense.

Earlier on Wednesday, Ukraine accused Russian forces of deliberately firing missiles at the large warehouses on the Black Sea where grain is stored for export.

Around 60,000 tonnes of grain have been destroyed, according to Ukraine’s accusations.

Russia has shelled targets in the important port city of Odesa in southern Ukraine two nights in a row.

The message from the Russian Ministry of Defense that cargo ships can now be potential military targets has caused the price of wheat to rise significantly on Wednesday evening, namely by 8 percent compared to the day before.

Only twice in the last ten years have prices risen by 8 percent or more in a single day.

Corn and rapeseed prices also jumped significantly on Wednesday.

According to the UN, the grain deal, which Russia has now withdrawn from, has reduced global food prices by 20 percent. These prices skyrocketed after the outbreak of war in 2022.

”Ukraine is an important country in the fight to feed the poorest,” says Michael Dunford, regional director of the UN World Food Program (WFP) in East Africa.

And Russia’s exit from the grain deal will ”exacerbate an already terrible situation,” he told AFP on Tuesday.

”It will make our ability to feed hungry people much more difficult,” Dunford said.