Russia says Ukrainian attacks are pushing up global food prices, causing grain shortages

MOSCOW, Aug 12 (Reuters) - Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said on Wednesday that Ukrainian strikes on Russian grain and agricultural infrastructure were pushing up global food prices and exacerbating grain shortages, something she said served the interests of some Western countries.

Zakharova made her comments in a statement issued after a wave of Ukrainian strikes on Russia's Black Sea port of Novorossiysk forced major grain terminals in the city to stop working.

"All this exacerbates the shortage of grain and fertilisers, fuels the rise in global food prices, and increases the burden on the countries of the Global South and East, which are being held hostage by the irresponsible policies of the aforementioned ‘players’," Zakharova said.

(Reporting by Reuters, Writing by Felix Light Editing by Andrew Osborn)