First Grain Ship Leaves Odessa Since Invasion

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s advisor Mykhailo Podolyak, said on Friday “that Ukraine and Russia would sign separate agreements,” NPR reports. Ukraine “does not sign any documents with Russia,” Podolyak said.
17 ships are currently holding 600,000 tons of cargo, primarily grain, and are docked in Black Sea ports. As the leave the ports, the sailors must be wary of mines that were deployed to prevent ship movements.
In addition to the port of Odessa, the ports of Chornomorsk and Pivdennyi are also covered by the safe-passage agreement. The first ship that left port was the Razoni, a carrier that sails under the flag of Sierra Leon.
The UN said this grain shipment, and the opening up of key ports, is a “humanitarian imperative.” UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres termed the deal the “Black Sea Initiative.”

.@antonioguterres warmly welcomes the departure of the M/V Razoni, the first commercial ship leaving Ukraine’s port of Odesa since 26 February 2022. Ensuring that existing grain and foodstuffs can move to global markets is a humanitarian imperative. 👇👇👇https://t.co/YxCjl7XSvk pic.twitter.com/oy65FURNn4
— UN Spokesperson (@UN_Spokesperson) August 1, 2022

It was in April that Guterres broached the problem of the blockaded grain and fertilizer shipments, from both Ukraine and Russia. He brought these concerns up both to Zelensky and to Russian President Vladimir Putin. …