Ukrainian grain

 The Russians have kidnapped Ukrainian children and shipped them off to assimilation camps. They've raped mothers in front of their children. They've bombed hospitals and historic theaters.

Is it any surprise that they're pulling this stunt?

Russia warned that from Thursday any ships traveling to Ukraine's Black Sea ports will be seen as possibly carrying military cargoes, after Ukraine said it was setting up a temporary shipping route to try and continue its grain exports.

The moves by both countries on Wednesday came just days after Russia quit a deal - brokered by the United Nations and Turkey - that allowed the safe Black Sea export of Ukraine grain for the past year, and revoked guarantees of safe navigation.

Ukraine has made clear that it wants to try and continue its Black Sea grain shipments and told the U.N. shipping agency, the International Maritime Organization (IMO), that it had "decided to establish on a temporary basis a recommended maritime route."

But Russia's Defence Ministry then said it would deem all ships travelling to Ukraine to be potentially carrying military cargo and "the flag countries of such ships will be considered parties to the Ukrainian conflict".

To emphasize its position, Russia did this:

Ukraine accused Russia on Wednesday of damaging grain export infrastructure in "hellish" overnight strikes focused on two of its Black Sea ports.

"In the ports that were attacked today, there was about a million tonnes of food stored. It is precisely that amount that should already have been delivered to consumer countries in Africa and Asia," Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said in his nightly video address on Wednesday.

He said the terminal damaged the most held 60,000 tonnes of agricultural products intended for shipment to China.

The consequences have begun:

Insurers were already reviewing their appetite for covering ships into Ukraine.

A cargo insurance facility providing cover for Ukraine grain shipments traveling under the Black Sea deal has been suspended, the policy's broker told Reuters on Tuesday. The marine cargo and war facility provided cover of up to $50 million per cargo.

Norwegian shipping insurance group DNK, which provides war risk policies, told Reuters on Wednesday it was currently unable to provide cover for Ukraine.

And:

Wheat futures soared by nearly 9% on Wednesday and are on track to hit their highest level in three weeks as tensions in Europe rise following Russia’s surprise decision to pull out of a crucial deal allowing the export of grain from Ukraine.

This is probably the main sticking point I have with working up any kind of enthusiasm for Ron DeSantis in his bid for the presidency. (Well, and I can't forget his endorsements of Mastriano and Lake last year.) I have no problem with him wading into the culture wars. Public education has indeed turned into a sewer of indoctrination, and Disney started the dustup with Florida state government buy weighing in on the parental-rights bill. 

But a major presidential candidate who would characterize Russia's unprovoked stone-cold invasion of Ukraine as a "territorial dispute" causes me to have gargantuan reservations.  

I really have no use for anybody who doesn't bring moral clarity to this situation.