First Ship Carrying Ukrainian Agricultural Cargo Sets Sail Despite Russian Threats
KYIV — Ukrainian officials have announced that a ship carrying Ukrainian agricultural cargo has set sail from the southern port of Odessa, despite threats by Russia to stop vessels in the Black Sea. This comes after Moscow unilaterally terminated a U.N.-sponsored agreement allowing safe passage of Ukrainian grain shipments. The container ship, Joseph Schulte, flying a Hong Kong flag, left the port and is proceeding through a temporary corridor established for civilian vessels on its way to the Bosporus. The ship is carrying more than 30,000 tons of cargo, including food products.
The announcement of the ship’s departure comes as Russian forces continue their assault on Ukraine’s agricultural infrastructure, targeting the country’s ability to ship to global markets and crippling a crucial sector of the economy. Two waves of self-destructing drones damaged warehouses and granaries in a port on the Danube River, which Ukraine had established as an alternative route for shipping from ports directly on the Black Sea. The main goal of the attacks is to disrupt the port and grain infrastructure in the south of the region, according to the head of the Odessa regional administration.
Ukraine responded to Russia’s termination of the agreement by announcing that all ships traveling to Russian Black Sea ports would be regarded as potentially transporting arms and military equipment. However, Ukraine also acknowledged the military threat and mine danger from Russia along all routes, without providing details about the location of the temporary corridors or the level of protection the ships would receive.
In an effort to support Ukraine, the U.S. delivered 50 railroad grain wagons to the Ukrainian agriculture company Nibulon to help move grain to Danube ports, where it will be sent to global markets. The Danube, which borders Ukraine to the west and feeds into the Black Sea, has become an important alternative route for Ukraine’s shipments after Russia imposed control over the southern ports early in the war.
In other news, Ukraine’s military announced that they had liberated the village of Urozhaine in the eastern Donetsk region, marking a small victory in Ukraine’s counteroffensive. However, reports from Alexander Khodakovsky, the commander of the Moscow-aligned Vostok Battalion in Russian-occupied Donetsk, claim that Ukrainian forces paid a high price in casualties. The recapture of Urozhaine highlights the incremental pace of Ukraine’s counteroffensive.
Former Russian president Dmitry Medvedev suggested that the Kremlin should gain control of Kyiv after a senior NATO official made controversial remarks about Ukraine ceding territory to Russia in exchange for NATO membership. Medvedev called the idea “curious” and suggested that Ukraine would have to give up most of its territory, with the exception of western Ukraine.
Ukrainian presidential adviser, Mykhailo Podolyak, rejected the NATO official’s remarks, calling the suggestion “ridiculous” and a defeat for democracy. NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg’s chief of staff, Stian Jenssen, later clarified that his original remarks were a mistake.
The situation in Ukraine remains tense as Russian forces continue their assault and Ukraine attempts to defend its agricultural infrastructure. The fate of Ukraine and its territorial integrity remains uncertain as Russia continues its aggression and diplomatic talks continue.