By striking Odesa, Russia trying to disrupt sea corridor created by Ukraine’s Navy - Kyslytsya

Having selecting Odesa as one of the main targets for airstrikes, the Russians are trying to disrupt the maritime export corridor created by the Ukrainian Navy after Russia's withdrawal from the Black Sea Grain Initiative, Ukraine's Permanent Representative to the UN, Sergiy Kyslytsya, told the UN Security Council on Friday.

This was reported by Ukrinform's own correspondent in New York.

"Russia failed in its attempts to blackmail the international community by withdrawing from the Initiative," Kyslytsya explained. "However, Ukraine, steadfast in its commitment to ensuring global food security despite the ongoing war, has launched the maritime corridor and continues enhance its efficacy."

According to Kyslytsya, since August 2023, almost 30 million tons of cargo have been exported to 42 countries across the globe from the ports of Odesa, Pivdennyi, and Chornomorsk. Of this amount, more than 8 million tons were exported in February alone. Eighty percent of all shipments were agricultural exports.

In fact, exports from Ukrainian Black Sea ports have reached a level that comparable with those recorded prior to the full-scale invasion, the envoy noted.

"The Russian Black Sea Fleet, steadily diminishing, no longer dares to appear in the north-western part of the Black Sea, let alone considering a possibility of a blockade of the Ukrainian ports," Kyslytsya emphasized.

All that remains for Russia is to launch missiles in an attempt to intimidate Ukraine and its trade partners, he said, stressing the importance of enhancing air defense capabilities to better protect the ports.

As Ukrinform reported earlier, on Friday, the UN Security Council discussed the shelling of Odesa by Russian invasion forces, as well as considered war-related humanitarian issues.