A general view shows the coastline looking east towards in the port city of Odessa, on April 12, 2022. (ED JONES / AFP)
KYIV/MOSCOW – Ukraine is preparing to start grain exports via the Black Sea ports this week under the grain deal signed last week in Türkiye, Ukrainian officials said on Monday.
Speaking at a media briefing aired on the Ukrainian Infrastructure Ministry's Facebook page, Infrastructure Minister Oleksandr Kubrakov said the movement of ships from the Black Sea ports is due to start by the end of the current week.
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The demining process will be carried out exclusively in the corridor for the passage of cargo ships, and all ship caravans will be accompanied by Ukrainian rescue vessels, Kubrakov said.
The supplies of Ukrainian grain to the global market have been affected in recent months due to the blockade of the Ukrainian seaports by the Russian military
Ukrainian Deputy Infrastructure Minister Yurii Vaskov, who also participated in the briefing, said the first grain deliveries will be made from the port of Chornomorsk.
Within two weeks, Ukraine also plans to start exporting grain through the ports of Odesa and Pivdenny, Vaskov added.
According to him, the coordination center tasked with supervising and coordinating the functioning of the humanitarian corridor will start its work on July 27.
The supplies of Ukrainian grain to the global market have been affected in recent months due to the blockade of the Ukrainian seaports by the Russian military.
On July 22, Ukraine and Russia separately signed a deal with Türkiye and the United Nations in Istanbul to resume grain shipments from Ukrainian ports to international markets via the Black Sea.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said the deal will enable Ukraine to export 20 million tons of last year's grain harvest and part of this year's harvest.
Rescuers remove debris following a Russian missile attack in Chuhuiv, Kharkiv region, Ukraine, July 25, 2022. (EVGENIY MALOLETKA / AP)
Russian destroys transshipment base
The Russian Defense Ministry said Monday that their armed forces have destroyed a transshipment base in the Khemlnitskyi region in western Ukraine with high-precision, long-range sea-based weapons.
Another attack carried out by the country's aerospace forces targeted a temporary deployment point of the 95th Airborne Assault Brigade of the Ukrainian armed forces, and killed over 100 Ukrainian fighters and foreign mercenaries in Donetsk, it added.
Ukraine gets German tanks
The first three German anti-aircraft self-propelled tanks "Chepard" were delivered to Ukraine and handed over to the armed forces, Defense Minister Oleksiy Reznikov told Ukrainian television on Monday.
"Today the first three Chepards officially arrived," the minister said, adding that tens of thousands of rounds of ammunition had also been delivered.
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According to an agreement, another 12 tanks are due to be sent.
Moscow hails Arab League stance
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Sunday that he appreciated the Arab League's "balanced" stance on the Russian-Ukrainian conflict.
Lavrov made the remarks in a speech at the headquarters of the Arab League in the Egyptian capital Cairo in the presence of the permanent representatives of Arab states at the pan-Arab organization.
He noted that the Russian side had met with the Arab League's Contact Group in April during which the Russian-Ukrainian conflict was fully discussed, adding that Moscow has not closed the door to negotiations with Ukraine. Enditem
