Two more ships have passed through a temporary “grain corridor” in the Black Sea, writes President Volodymyr Zelenskyj on X. At the same time, over 20 Russian drones are said to have been shot down over the important port city of Odessa during the night.
Ukraine’s air force has destroyed 22 Russian drones on Sunday morning, according to the Telegram messaging service. The Russian drone attacks are said to have taken place in the Odessa region, Ukraine’s most important sea link with the outside world.
In July, Russia withdrew from an agreement negotiated by Turkey with the UN for the export of grain. Since then, Russia has continuously carried out attacks specifically targeting Ukrainian grain warehouses.
Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said in late August that there are no alternative routes other than those of the original grain agreement between Ukraine and Russia. Even so, a ship passed through a temporary corridor in mid-August, according to Ukraine. And now two more have succeeded, says President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
“Another two ships have successfully passed through our temporary grain corridor in the Black Sea,” writes Zelensky on X, formerly Twitter.
“I thank all the dock workers and everyone who ensures that the security of the corridor works. We call on our allies to support our efforts by contributing more air defense systems,” writes Zelenskyy.
Russian President Vladimir Putin will meet his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Sochi, Russia, on Monday to discuss the grain deal.