First grain shipment leaves Ukraine since Russian invasion

A ship exporting grains left the Ukrainian port of Odesa for the first time on Monday since the beginning of the war with Russia five months ago, a Ukrainian minister said.

"The first grain ship since #RussianAggression has left port. Thanks to the support of all our partner countries & @UN we were able to full implement the Agreement signed in Istanbul," Infrastructure Minister Oleksandr Kubrakov said on Twitter.

The first 🇺🇦 grain ship since #RussianAggression has left port. Thanks to the support of all our partner countries & @UN we were able to full implement the Agreement signed in Istanbul. It’s important for us to be one of the guarantors of 🌏 food security. pic.twitter.com/jOz3bdmdfB

— Oleksandr Kubrakov (@OlKubrakov) August 1, 2022

The first ship to leave the Odesa port is the Sierra Leone-flagged Razoni, which is headed towards Lebanon loaded with 26,000 tons of corn, Turkey’s defense minister said.

Ukraine was able to resume the exporting of its grains after it signed a deal with Russia brokered by Turkey and the United Nations last week.

The invasion of Ukraine and a Russian blockade in the black sea created a worldwide food and energy crisis. Before the war broke out between Russia and Ukraine on February 24, Ukraine supplied 11% of the world’s grains.

Additionally, Ukraine’s grain supplies were one of the main food sources for the Middle East and Africa, regions that are now undergoing a famine because their access to grains has been cut off. Ukraine was also a major supplier of the United Nation’s World Food Program, which helps give food to countries in need.

Under the terms of the deal, the Kremlin has agreed not to target ports while shipments are in transit. Ukraine has agreed that its naval ships will guide cargo ships through waters that have been minded, according to the BBC.

However, hours after the deal was signed, two Russian missiles struck the Odesa harbor, raising concerns about Russia’s commitment to the agreement.

Ukrainian officials say there are 17 ships currently docked in Ukraine’s Black Sea ports with almost 600,000 tons of cargo that could leave in the coming weeks.

“Ukraine, together with our partners, has taken another step today in preventing world hunger,” Oleksandr Kubrakov, Ukraine’s infrastructure minister, said on Monday.