Dhe dispute over Ukrainian grain exports across the Black Sea continues. Russia has declared its exit from the grain deal and will not accept that the other parties involved – the United Nations, Turkey and Ukraine – simply carry on. On Monday evening, the Russian Ministry of Defense demanded additional commitments from Ukraine not to use the sea corridor for military purposes.
Ukraine, on the other hand, had to deal with the repair of damage caused by Russian rocket attacks on Monday morning until Tuesday night. For the first time in two weeks, a target was hit in the capital Kyiv, where large parts of the water supply failed. According to Mayor Vitali Klitschko, 250,000 households in the metropolis were without electricity in the evening. Meanwhile, inspectors from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) have begun their planned inspections in Ukraine after Russian accusations that Kyiv intends to use a “dirty bomb”.
Tuesday is the 251st day of Ukraine’s defense against the Russian invasion.
Moscow does not want to tolerate going it alone in grain exports
On Monday, a convoy of more than a dozen grain carriers headed for the Bosphorus from Ukrainian ports on the Black Sea – without Russia’s consent. But Russian forces did not hinder the convoy either. The agreement was reached between the UN, Turkey and Ukraine on Sunday at the Grain Exports Coordination Center in Istanbul.
Moscow tried to prevent this action at various diplomatic levels. The agreement “cannot be implemented without us,” Russian ambassador to the UN Vasily Nebensia said at a UN Security Council meeting in New York. The passage of grain ships through the Bosphorus would not be possible without Russian participation in the controls. However, the three other partners are now also carrying on with the inspections of the ships on the way to Ukraine and back without Moscow.
Telephone calls were held between the defense ministries and the foreign ministries of Russia and Turkey on Monday. The Russian Defense Ministry again accused Ukraine of abusing the protected sea corridor in a night-time drone attack on the Black Sea Fleet.
UN Emergency Relief Coordinator: The Black Sea is clear at night
The UN emergency aid coordinator Martin Griffiths opposed this view in New York. “If there are no Initiative ships in the area, the corridor has no special status,” he told the Security Council. On the night of the alleged attack on Saturday, there were also no cargo ships in the sea area. “The protected shipping corridor is not open at four in the morning.” Therefore, there was no violation of the agreements.