By A civilian cargo ship has departed Ukraine’s southern port of Odesa, despite warnings from Russia about potential targeting of vessels using the Black Sea export hubs.
This announcement sets the stage for a potential standoff with Russian warships, following Russia’s withdrawal from a crucial agreement, brokered by the UN and Turkey, that had ensured safe passage for grain shipments from three Ukrainian ports.
The United States has strongly criticized Russia’s ongoing attacks on Ukraine’s grain infrastructure, with the US Department of State urging Russia to immediately rejoin the Black Sea Grain Initiative. State Department deputy spokesperson Vedant Patel stated that Russian President Vladimir Putin appears indifferent to global food security, particularly after Ukraine reported that Russia had targeted its grain storage facilities.
The vessel was navigating through a temporary corridor, which Ukraine had requested the International Maritime Organization (IMO) to approve. Recognizing that ship insurance costs could be significant for operators, Ukraine assured the IMO that it would provide compensation guarantees for any damages incurred.
Ukraine’s President, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, welcomed this development as a crucial step toward restoring navigation freedom in the Black Sea.
As per maritime tracking data, the Joseph Schulte, the first ship to depart from Odesa since July 16, was en route to Turkey off the coast of Romania.
The Joseph Schulte had been stranded in Odesa since February 2022, according to Oleksandr Kubrakov, Ukraine’s deputy prime minister. Additionally, reports from the Odesa region governor indicated that Russian attack drones had inflicted damage on grain facilities near the Romanian border. Meanwhile, Ukraine’s air force reported downing 13 Russian drones over the Odesa and neighboring Mykolaiv regions.
These actions have sparked outrage in Romania, an EU member country that has become a crucial hub for Ukrainian grain exports since the dissolution of the previous exports agreement. Romanian Foreign Minister Luminita Odobescu strongly condemned the ongoing Russian attacks on innocent civilians and civilian infrastructure, particularly the grain silos in the ports of Reni and Izmail.
Zelenskiy also decried these strikes, emphasizing that each Russian attack not only affects world food prices but also disrupts social and political stability in Africa and Asia.
