Ukraine’s first grain shipment leaves for Lebanon since Russian invasion

The first grain shipment from Ukraine since Russia’s invasion is a minor but vital first step toward freeing the millions of tonnes of grain stockpiled in the country and bolstering global food supplies.

Over the weekend, Russian President Vladimir Putin said that the navy would soon be armed with potent Zircon hypersonic cruise missiles, which have a maximum speed of five times the speed of sound. He declared that he would reply “with lightning speed to anyone who decides to trespass on our sovereignty and independence and signed a new navy doctrine.”

A Ukrainian grain magnate was killed by Russian shelling, and President Volodymyr Zelenskiy encouraged residents of the Donetsk region to flee as a potentially protracted ground conflict rages in the area’s east.

Russia continues to carry out air and missile strikes against military and civilian targets as the invasion is well into its sixth month. The majority of the southern Kherson region was experiencing fighting, according to the Ukrainian military. Following the largest assault on the southern port city since the war began, Russia shelled Mykolaiv once more, according to the mayor. Despite being “very unlikely” to take control of the second-largest city in Ukraine or the area surrounding it, Russian forces may be preparing a new attack on Kharkiv, according to the Institute for the Study of War.

The Ukraine is one of the biggest suppliers of corn, wheat, and vegetable oils, and the loss of supplies amid the Russian invasion plugged the world into a threat of a global food crisis.

Reportedly, Razoni, a cargo ship loaded with 26,000 tonnes of corn, is shipped to Lebanon on Monday.

A Ukrainian government ship accompanied the Razoni as it left the dock in the important southern city of Odessa. Teams of inspectors, including representatives from Turkey, the UN, and Russia, will examine the ships engaged in the transaction.

Several ships were already loaded before the Russian invasion started, and more are anticipated to leave in the upcoming days. At Chornomorsk port, close to Odessa, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky presided over the first grain ship loading since February on Friday.

The restart of grain exports was hailed by the foreign minister of Ukraine, Dmytro Kuleba, as a “day of relief for the world, especially for our partners in the Middle East, Asia, and Africa.”