First two cargo ships arrive in Ukrainian port after Russia's exit from grain deal

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Two cargo ships arrived in one of Ukraine's ports over the weekend, using a temporary Black Sea corridor established by Kyiv following Russia's withdrawal from a wartime agreement designed to ensure safe grain exports from the invaded country’s ports.

Two Palau-flagged bulk carriers, Aroyat and Resilient Africa, docked Saturday at the seaport of Chornomorsk in the southern Odesa region, according to an online statement by the Ukrainian Sea Ports Authority. The vessels are the first civilian cargo ships to reach one of the Odesa ports since Russia exited the grain deal.

Oleksandr Kubrakov, Ukraine’s deputy prime minister, said in an online statement Saturday that the two ships will be delivering some 20,000 tons of wheat to countries in Africa and Asia.

For months, Ukraine, whose economy is heavily dependent on farming, was able to safely export its grain from Black Sea ports under a deal brokered by the United Nations and Turkey to ensure safe shipments. But Russia withdrew from the deal on July 17, with Kremlin officials arguing their demands for the facilitation of Russian food and fertilizer shipments had not been met.

Following the withdrawal, the Russian Defense Ministry said it would regard any vessels in the Black Sea headed to Ukrainian ports as military targets.

Since then, Kyiv has sought to reroute transport through the Danube River, and road and rail links into Europe. But transport costs that way are much higher. Some European countries have balked at the consequential local grain prices, and the Danube ports can’t handle the same volume as seaports.

The interim corridor in the Black Sea, which Kyiv has asked the International Maritime Organization to ratify, was opened on Aug. 10 as United States and Ukrainian officials warned of possible Russian attacks on civilian vessels. Sea mines also make the voyage risky, and ship insurance costs are likely to be high for operators.

Ukrainian officials said the corridor will be primarily used to evacuate ships stuck in the Ukrainian ports of Chornomorsk, Odesa and Pivdennyi since the war broke out. Kubrakov said Saturday that five vessels have since used the corridor to leave Ukrainian ports.

After tearing up the grain deal, Russia intensified attacks on the southern Odesa region, targeting its port infrastructure and grain silos with missiles and drones.

On Sunday, Ukraine's Air Force Command reported another attack overnight in which the Odesa region was the main target. Russian forces fired 10 cruise missiles and six Iranian-made Shahed drones, the statement said. All drones and six missiles were downed, while the rest hit an agricultural facility in the Odesa region.

In other developments:

— Ukraine's military said Sunday it captured the village of Klishchiivka from Russian troops after months of fierce fighting. The village lies south of the Russian-held city of Bakhmut in the eastern Donetsk region, and its recapture comes days after Ukrainian forces said they liberated the nearby village of Andriivka. There was no immediate comment from Russian officials on the recapture.

Gaining Klischiivka signifies an important tactical victory for Ukrainian forces. The commanding heights of the village offers a view into the Russian-occupied town of Bakhmut and opens up new opportunities for Ukrainian forces to encircle the town. It also potentially allows Ukrainians a better view into Russian logistic lines.

— Russian authorities on Sunday reported that Ukrainian drones targeted the annexed Crimean peninsula and a number of Russian regions overnight and in the morning. Two drones were downed overnight in the Moscow region that surrounds the Russian capital, Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said. A third drone was intercepted over the Voronezh region that borders Ukraine, Russia's Defense Ministry said. Another one hit a fuel tank in the neighboring Oryol region, Oryol Gov. Andrei Klychkov said, igniting a fire that was quickly put out. A drone also fell on a logistics facility in the Tula region south of Moscow, local authorities said. In the annexed Crimea, the Russian Defense Ministry reported downing six Ukrainian drones in the early hours of Sunday. Ukrainian officials have not commented on the attacks,