"Some will starve, many may die," U.N. warns after Russia pulls out of grain deal

Threats against civilian vessels in the Black Sea are "unacceptable," a senior U.N. official said Friday following statements by Moscow and Kyiv after Russia withdrew from a key grain export deal.

Russia announced on Monday that it was pulling out of the initiative, which allowed the safe export of Ukrainian grain, effectively ending the agreement signed in July last year between Moscow, Kyiv, Istanbul and the U.N. Russian authorities then announced they would consider any ships heading for Ukrainian grain ports on the Black Sea as military targets.

Ukraine responded by issuing a warning to ships heading for Russian-controlled ports.