According to Kiev, the first UN grain delivery ship from Ukraine is loaded with wheat and ready to depart. The MV Brave Commander, currently docked in the Black Sea port of the Ukrainian city of Yuzhne, is ready to depart for Ethiopia with 23,000 tonnes of wheat on board, Ukrainian Infrastructure Minister Olexandr Kubrakov said today. The ship departed Istanbul, Turkey, on Wednesday.
A spokesperson for the UN World Food Program (WFP) took the opportunity to express hope that this first delivery will be the start of regular deliveries of grain from Ukraine to regions of the world particularly threatened by famine.
Because of the Russian war of aggression, all grain exports from Ukraine from its Black Sea ports were blocked for months, contributing to a global food crisis. In July, Russia, Ukraine, Turkey and the UN reached an agreement to break the blockade. The Grain Export Monitoring Center is located in Istanbul.