Threatened by Russian attack, cargo ship carrying grain safely arrives in Ukraine

<p>&nbsp;Two cargo ships arrived at a Ukrainian port using a new route across the Black Sea in Chornomorsk on Saturday with 20,000 tonnes of grain for the global market.</p><p><br /></p><p>This is the first time a civilian ship has arrived at a Ukrainian port since the collapse of an agreement with Russia that guaranteed the safety of ships as the lane was previously only used by ships departing from Ukraine.</p><p><br /></p><p>Deputy Prime Minister Oleksandr Kubrakov said the ships Resilient Africa and Aroyat were sailing with crews consisting of Ukrainians, Turks, Azerbaijanis and Egyptians who would deliver rice to Egypt and Israel.</p><p><br /></p><p>Kyiv unilaterally declared a maritime lane along the western coast of the Black Sea after Russia reneged on an earlier agreement to facilitate wheat exports from Ukrainian ports.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Moscow said the terms of the agreement allowing its food and fertilizer exports were being violated and complained about western sanctions restricting its agricultural exports. Since then, civilian ships sailing to Ukraine have been targeted by the Russian military.</p><p><br /></p><p>For information, Ukraine is one of the world's leading producers of crops such as sunflower oil, barley, corn, and wheat.</p><p><br /></p><p>In February 2022, the Russian military imposed a blockade on the country's Black Sea ports and trapped 20 million tons of wheat that was supposed to be exported. This causes world food prices to soar.</p><p><br /></p><p>In addition to threatening ships passing through the Black Sea, Moscow continues to target Ukraine's port infrastructure by attacking the ports of Izmail and Reni in an attempt to disrupt operations.</p>