A grain ship carrying Ukrainian grain is seen in the Black Sea, amid Russia’s attack on Ukraine, near the Ukrainian port of Odesa. (File/Reuters)
Metropolis Desk-
Russian drone attacks overnight on grain storage facilities and ports along the Danube River, which Kyiv has increasingly used to transport grain to Europe after Moscow terminated a crucial wartime export agreement through the Black Sea, were reported to have resumed on Wednesday by local officials.
In the meantime, a laden container ship that had been stranded in the port of Odesa since Russia’s full-scale invasion more than 17 months prior set sail and traveled via the Black Sea and the Bosporus following a temporary shipping route that Ukraine had devised.
Agriculture plays a significant role in the war-damaged economy of Ukraine. Similar to Russia, its agricultural exports are essential for the global supply of wheat, barley, sunflower oil, and other foods that developing countries depend on.
Kyiv has sought to reroute transportation along the Danube and road and rail routes into Europe after the Kremlin tore up an agreement a month earlier that had been mediated by the UN and Turkiye to guarantee safe Ukraine grain exports over the Black Sea last summer. However, the costs of transportation are substantially greater, several European nations have objected to the impact on domestic grain prices, and the Danube ports are unable to handle the same volume as seaports.
Oleh Kiper, the governor of Odesa, claimed that grain silos and port terminals, especially those at the ports in the Danube delta, were the main targets of Russia’s nocturnal drone assault. 13 drones were successfully intercepted by air defenses, according to Kiper.
The ports in the Danube Delta, which are only a few miles (15 kilometers) from the Romanian border, have been the target of many aerial attacks by Russia during the past few weeks. The Danube is the second-longest river in Europe and an important thoroughfare.
Deputy Prime Minister of Ukraine Oleksandr Kubrakov said that the cargo ship leaving Odesa was the first ship to leave port since July 16. Since February 2022, it had been trapped in Odesa.
Ukraine requested that the International Maritime Organization confirm a temporary corridor, which was being used by the Hong Kong-flagged Joseph Schulte. The Russian military is gearing up for potential assaults on Black Sea commercial boats used by civilians, the United States has warned.
The voyage is also perilous due to sea mines, and operators should expect to pay a lot for ship insurance. In their statement to the IMO, Ukraine promised to “provide guarantees of compensation for damage.”
A cargo ship sailing under the flag of Palau was fired upon by a Russian navy last Sunday in the southern Black Sea. The Sukru Okan was traveling north to the port of Izmail on the Ukrainian Danube River, according to the Russian Defense Ministry.
The Joseph Schulte was heading south, according to ship-tracking data obtained by The Associated Press.
Kubrakov claims that Joseph Schulte is transporting 2,114 containers, containing more than 30,000 tons of cargo, including food items.
According to him, the main purpose of the corridor is to evacuate ships that have been impounded in the Ukrainian ports of Chornomorsk, Odesa, and Pivdennyi since the start of the conflict.
Deputy Defense Minister Hanna Maliar reported that troops have retaken a settlement in the eastern Donetsk area, marking another victory for Kyiv in its arduous counteroffensive.
The hamlet of Staromaiorske, which Ukraine also claims to have just retaken, is close to the village of Urozhaine. It was impossible to independently verify the statements.
Although Ukraine is up against strong defensive lines and moving forward without air support, it looks like it is attempting to open a wedge between Russian forces in the south.
Wednesday also saw the Russian military claim responsibility for shooting down three drones over the Kaluga region, southwest of Moscow. There were no recorded casualties or damage.
Source- Arab News
