The ink was barely dry on the deal securing guarantees for shipments of Ukrainian grain and oilseeds in the Black Sea, when Moscow violated its terms by targeting the key grain-exporting port of Odesa with it cruise missiles.

Brokered by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and United Nations chief Antonio Guterres, the international deal took months to get off the ground and was finally signed on Friday allowing to ease the blockade of Ukrainian Black Sea ports.

The attack came in early hours of July 23 when  at least two  Kalibr cruise missiles targeted the Odesa damaging its infrastructure, Ukrainian officials said. Two more missiles that allegedly came from a Russian warship, were shot down by Ukraine’s aerial defenses.

According to reports, the strike destroyed a railcar discharging point and a warehouse used for loading grain

Moscow flat out denied it was behind the attack, though the denial came from Turkish Defence Minister Hulusi Akar who said:  “The Russians told us that they had absolutely nothing to do with this attack and they were looking into the issue very closely’.

The Turkish military chief said his country was ‘seriously concerned’ the attack came hours after the signing of the deal poised to get Ukraine’s grain exports on the market.

Moscow changed its stance next day after Russia’s foreign ministry spokesperson Mariya Zakharova admitted to the attack insisting its military targeted a Ukrainian military vessel.

The deal  stipulated that both countries would refrain from attacking port facilities or civilian ships used for grain transport, according to a copy of the agreement revealed by Ukrainian officials.

The third out of its 9 stipulations says that ‘the Parties will not carry out any attacks on cargo ships and other civilian vessels and port facilities that are part of this Initiative’.

Russia used its state media to offer what appears to be an awkward excuse for the strike – RIA Novosti news outlet said Saturday Russian military ‘destroyed a storage site for anti-ship Harpoon missiles supplied by the US’.

The story came with a video showing a launch of Kalibr cruise missiles.