The Razoni cargo ship, under the flag of Sierra Leone, with 26,000 tons of the Ukrainian corn aboard, leaves the port in Odesa region
(Picture: AP)A ship loaded with grain left the port of Odesa on Monday for the first time since the war began, according to the Turkish defence ministry.
It comes after Russia and Ukraine signed a deal in July to reopen Black Sea ports to resume grain exports - shipments needed to alleviate a growing global food crisis.
Turkey said the Sierra Leone-flagged cargo ship, Razoni, which has been loaded with corn, departed Odesa for Lebanon.
The ministry said other ships would also depart Ukraine’s ports through the safe corridors in line with deals signed in Istanbul on July 22, but did not provide further details.
Russia and Ukraine signed separate the agreements with Turkey and the UN clearing the way for Ukraine - known as the breadbasket of Europe - to export 22 million tons of grain and other agricultural goods that have been stuck in Black Sea ports because of Russia’s invasion.
Meanwhile Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky described the death of grain tycoon Oleksiy Vadatursky, 74, who was killed with his wife in Russian shelling of the southern city of Mykolaiv as “a great loss for all of Ukraine”.
Mr Vadatursky owned Nibulon, a company involved in grain exports. He had also received the “Hero of Ukraine” award.
Mykolaiv’s Mayor Oleksandr Senkevych described the more than 12 missile strikes that pounded the port city on Sunday as “probably the most powerful on the city in five months of war, hitting homes and schools, with at least three others wounded.
