First grain ship departs Odesa under UN safe passage deal

Grain tycoon Oleksiy Vadaturskyy was killed in the attack on Mykolaiv, Ukraine, on July 31. (Facebook)

A Ukrainian grain mogul and his wife were killed after the southern city of Mykolaiv came under intense shelling on Sunday, according to Ukrainian officials, as Russian President Vladimir Putin used his nation's Navy Day to issue more militaristic threats to anyone undermining Russia's "sovereignty and freedom."

Grain tycoon Oleksiy Vadaturskyy and his wife, Raisa, died in the attack, according to a statement from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. Vadaturskyy was the founder of Mykolaiv-based Nibulon, one of Ukraine's largest grain producing and export companies.

"This is a great loss for Mykolaiv region and all of Ukraine," Zelensky said. "For more than 50 years of his career, Oleksiy Vadaturskyy made an invaluable contribution to the development of the region and the development of the agricultural and shipbuilding industries of our country."

Mykolaiv Mayor Oleksandr Senkevych said cluster munitions blew out windows and destroyed balconies. "Mykolaiv was under mass shelling today. Probably the strongest one of all time," he said in a statement.

A CNN team on the ground heard the explosions caused by the strikes and saw fires that broke out in the shelling. Residents interviewed by CNN also said it was the heaviest shelling in the city since the start of the war.

At least one person was killed and two injured in the attack, according to Vitalii Kim, head of Mykolaiv regional military administration.

A firefighter works to douse a fire in a building in Mykolaiv, Ukraine, in this handout picture released on July 31. (State Emergency Service of Ukraine in Mykolaiv Region/Reuters)

"Lightning speed": In a speech commemorating Russia's Navy Day in St. Petersburg, Putin did not make any mention of Russia's war in Ukraine, but said his country's "current situation is demanding very decisive actions."

"We will provide protection firmly and by all means. The key here is the capabilities of the Navy, which is able to respond with lightning speed to anyone who decides to encroach on our sovereignty and freedom," Putin said.

Putin said delivery of the country's Zircon hypersonic cruise missile systems would begin in the coming months. Russia said in May that it successfully tested the Zircon missile over a distance of 1,000 kilometers (621 miles).

Read more here.

Source https://www.globalcourant.com/first-grain-ship-departs-odesa-under-un-safe-passage-deal/?feed_id=5251&_unique_id=62e813773f37f

First Shipment of Ukraine Grain Leaves Odesa

The first shipment of Ukrainian grain left the port of Odesa on Monday under a deal aimed at relieving a global food crisis following Russia's invasion of its neighbor, the Turkish defense ministry said. 

"The ship Razoni has left the port of Odesa bound for Tripoli in Lebanon. It is expected in Istanbul on Aug. 2. It will then continue its journey after it has been inspected in Istanbul," the ministry said.

The vessel was carrying 26,000 tons of corn, according to Ukraine's infrastructure minister Oleksandr Kubrakov.

It was expected to reach the mouth of the Bosphorus on Tuesday at around midday, according to Yoruk Isik, an expert on ship movements on the Bosphorus Strait and in the region.

Other convoys would follow, respecting the maritime corridor and the agreed formalities in line with the agreement reached with Russia on July 22, the ministry said. 

Built in 1996 and measuring 186 meters (610 feet) in length and 25 meters in width, the vessel has capacity of 30,000 tons.

On July 22,  Ukraine and Russia signed a landmark deal with Turkey and the United Nations aimed at relieving a global food crisis caused by blocked Black Sea grain deliveries.

Turkey formally opened a special joint coordination center to oversee the exports in Istanbul last Wednesday, which is being staffed by civilian and military officials from the two warring parties and delegates from Turkey and the UN.

Their primary assignment involves monitoring the safe passage of Ukrainian grain ships along established routes and overseeing their inspection for banned weapons on the way into and out of the Black Sea.

The blockage of deliveries from two of the world's biggest grain exporters has contributed to a spike in prices that has made food imports prohibitively expensive for some of the world's poorest countries.

UN estimates say nearly 50 million people began to face "acute hunger" around the world as a direct consequence of the war.

Wheat prices fell sharply hours after the grain deal was signed.

Source https://www.globalcourant.com/first-shipment-of-ukraine-grain-leaves-odesa/?feed_id=5027&_unique_id=62e787b4c3d4c

First Shipment of Ukraine Grain Set to Leave Odesa: Turkey

The first shipment of Ukrainian grain will leave the port of Odessa at 0530 GMT on Monday, the Turkish defense ministry said.

"The departure of the cargo ship Razoni flying the flag of Sierra Leone and loaded with maize will leave the port of Odesa bound for Lebanon at 08:30 (0530 GMT)," the ministry said in a statement.

Other convoys would follow, respecting the maritime corridor and the agreed formalities in line with the agreement reached with Russia on July 22, the ministry said. 

According to the Marine Traffic website, the Razoni was still docked in Odesa at 0500 GMT. 

Built in 1996 and measuring 186 meters (610 feet) in length and 25 meters in width, the vessel has capacity of 30,000 tons.

On July 22,  Ukraine and Russia signed a landmark deal with Turkey and the United Nations aimed at relieving a global food crisis caused by blocked Black Sea grain deliveries.

Turkey formally opened a special joint coordination center to oversee the exports in Istanbul last Wednesday, which is being staffed by civilian and military officials from the two warring parties and delegates from Turkey and the UN.

Their primary assignment involves monitoring the safe passage of Ukrainian grain ships along established routes and overseeing their inspection for banned weapons on the way into and out of the Black Sea.

The blockage of deliveries from two of the world's biggest grain exporters has contributed to a spike in prices that has made food imports prohibitively expensive for some of the world's poorest countries.

UN estimates say nearly 50 million people began to face "acute hunger" around the world as a direct consequence of the war.

Wheat prices fell sharply hours after the grain deal was signed.

Source https://www.globalcourant.com/first-shipment-of-ukraine-grain-set-to-leave-odesa-turkey/?feed_id=5013&_unique_id=62e7799386a54

Russian foreign minister says there is ‘no obstacle’ to grain deal

KIGALI, Rwanda

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said Monday there is “no obstacle” to the implementation of a UN-Türkiye brokered grain export deal between Russia and Ukraine.

His remarks came after Russian missiles struck Ukraine's key Black Sea port of Odessa on Saturday in an attack that UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres “unequivocally” condemned.

EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said striking a target crucial for grain exports a day after the deal was signed in Istanbul was particularly reprehensible and demonstrated Russia’s total disregard for international law and commitments.

But speaking at a press conference in the Republic of Congo after a meeting with President Denis Sassou N'Guesso, Lavrov said the strikes at Odesa “should not affect” grain exports as they targeted “depots of arms and ammunition supplied to Kyiv by the West.”

“There is no obstacle to the implementation of the agreement of July 22,” he added.

Lavrov insisted that Russia would maintain strikes against Ukrainian military targets, as in the obligations that Russia took on, “nothing would forbid us from continuing the special military operation.”

The top Russian diplomat also accused the West of being responsible for the escalation of the conflict in Ukraine.

Lavrov made his remarks on the second leg of his Africa trip as Russia seeks to strengthen its cooperation in the region in the face of the growing isolation of Moscow by the West due to the war on Ukraine.

He started his visit in Egypt on Sunday before heading to the Republic of Congo and arrived in Uganda late Monday, from where he will head to Ethiopia.

Ukraine's Infrastructure Minister Oleksandr Kubrakov, who was part of the talks in Istanbul, said Monday that the first grain shipments under the deal were expected to take place this week.

The war in Ukraine has compounded the problem of food insecurity around the world.

Russia and Ukraine account for 30% of the global wheat trade.

The war has disrupted wheat exports, driving wheat prices up by 60% in Africa, the African Development Bank (AfDB) said in April.

Anadolu Agency website contains only a portion of the news stories offered to subscribers in the AA News Broadcasting System (HAS), and in summarized form. Please contact us for subscription options.

Source https://www.globalcourant.com/russian-foreign-minister-says-there-is-no-obstacle-to-grain-deal/?feed_id=2190&_unique_id=62df77f6ea8d6

World leaders slam Putin's attack on Odesa following sea corridor deal

Russian President Vladimir Putin chairs the supervisory board meeting of the presidential forum "Russia - Land of Opportunity" at the Kremlin in Moscow, Russia April 20, 2022.

Mikhail Tereshchenko | Sputnik | via Reuters

WASHINGTON – World leaders swiftly condemned the Russian missile strike on a Ukrainian port, a dramatic revelation amid a U.N.-brokered deal that secured a sea corridor for grains and other foodstuff exports.

A day prior, representatives from the U.N., Turkey, Russia and Ukraine signed an agreement to reopen three Ukrainian ports, an apparent breakthrough as the Kremlin's war on its ex-Soviet neighbor marches into its fifth month.

The deal, signed in Istanbul and set to be implemented in the next few weeks, follows a months-long blockade of dozens of Ukrainian ports sprinkled along the Sea of Azov and the Black Sea.

The strike on Odesa, Ukraine's largest port, illustrates yet another anxious turn in fruitless efforts to mitigate a mounting global food crisis.

A general view shows a fire engine at a scene of a burning building after a shelling, as Russia's invasion of Ukraine continues in a location given as Odesa, Ukraine in this picture obtained from social media released on July 19, 2022.

State Emergency Service of Ukraine | Via Reuters

An adviser to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called Russia "predictably worthless" on the heels of the attack.

"The ink has not had time to dry out, yet there are two vile provocations: attack on a seaport in Odesa and a statement by Russia's Defense Ministry that Ukraine ports are "dangerous for shipping," wrote Mykhailo Podolyak on Twitter.

"Not even 24 hours had passed before these grain terminals, the territory of Odesa and the port were struck," Zelenskyy told a U.S. delegation of lawmakers visiting Ukraine.

Among those visiting Zelenskyy, Rep. Adam Smith (D-Wash.) said Russian President Vladimir Putin "violated the spirit of that agreement with more missile strikes."

"He simply cannot be trusted," Smith, chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, wrote in a statement.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the U.S. strongly condemns the Russian missile attack and said Russia bears responsibility for deepening the world's food crisis.

The attack "undermines work of the U.N., Turkey and Ukraine to get critical food to world markets," Blinken said in a statement.

U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres "unequivocally" condemned the missile strike on the port.

"Full implementation [of the deal] by the Russian Federation, Ukraine and Turkey is imperative," the U.N. chief wrote.

Bridget Brink, President Joe Biden's Ambassador to Ukraine, urged the global community to hold Russia to account.

"The Kremlin continues to weaponize food. Russia must be held to account," Brink wrote on Twitter.

European Union foreign policy chief Josep Borrell called Russia's missile strike on Odesa "reprehensible."

"Striking a target crucial for grain export a day after the signature of Istanbul agreements is particularly reprehensible again demonstrates Russia's total disregard for international law and commitments," Borrell wrote on Twitter.

Spanish celebrity chef and restaurateur Jose Andres, who brought his humanitarian organization to Ukraine to alleviate the food crisis triggered by Russia's war, also slammed the missile strikes on Odesa.

"Why are you attacking the grain that needs to be exported? Why? Stop please and let's feed the world," wrote the two-star Michelin chef and founder of the World Central Kitchen, a group dedicated to feeding vulnerable communities.

Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas said the missile strikes were "all you need to know about deals with Russia."

"Today, Russian missiles hit the port of Odesa. That's all you need to know about deals with Russia. The world must help Ukraine fight the aggressor," she wrote.

— Reuters contributed to this report.

Source https://www.globalcourant.com/world-leaders-slam-putins-attack-on-odesa-following-sea-corridor-deal/?feed_id=1110&_unique_id=62dcb3887bb6f