As a foreign ship tests out Kyiv’s new Black Sea Corridor, Russia resumes its attack on the grain storage facilities in Odesa

Local officials reported on Wednesday that Russia had resumed its overnight drone attacks on grain storage facilities and ports along the Danube River, which Kyiv has been increasingly using to transport grain to Europe after Moscow terminated a crucial wartime export agreement through the Black Sea.

A laden cargo ship that had been trapped in the port of Odesa since Russia’s full-scale invasion more than 17 months before took sail at the same time and was traveling via the Black Sea to the Bosporus through a temporary maritime route set up by Ukraine.

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 attempted to reroute transportation via the Danube and road and rail routes into Europe after the Kremlin tore up an agreement a month ago that had been mediated by the UN and Turkey last summer to assure safe grain shipments from Ukraine across the Black Sea. 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 amount as seaports.

 

Oleh Kiper, the governor of Odesa, said 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. According to Kiper, air defenses were able to intercept 13 drones.

 

It was the most recent in a series of weeks-long aerial attacks by Russia on the ports along the Danube, which are just a short 15 km (10 miles) from the Romanian border. 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 has 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 journey is especially perilous due to sea mines, and operators can expect to pay a lot for ship insurance. Ukraine promised to “provide guarantees of compensation for damage” to the IMO.

 

A cargo ship sailing under the flag of Palau was fired at 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 Ministry of Defense.

 

The Associated Press’ analysis of ship-tracking data showed that the Joseph Schulte was moving south.

 

According to Kubrakov, the Joseph Schulte is transporting more than 30,000 tons of goods in 2,114 containers, including food items.

 

He said that the corridor’s main purpose would be to evacuate ships that have been impounded at the Ukrainian ports of Chornomorsk, Odessa, and Pivdennyi since the start of the conflict.

 

A town in the eastern Donetsk area has been retaken, according to Ukrainian authorities on the front lines of the conflict. Deputy Defense Minister Hanna Maliar made the announcement.

 

The hamlet of Staromaiorske, which Ukraine also claims to have just retaken, is close to the village of Urozhaine. It was unable to independently verify the statements.

 

Although Ukraine is up against strong defensive lines and moving forward without air assistance, it looks like it is attempting to open a hole between Russian troops in the south.

 

Wednesday also saw the Russian military claim responsibility for shooting down three drones over the Kaluga area, southwest of Moscow. There were no recorded injuries or damage.