Lauren Moye, FISM News
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The first grain shipments from Ukraine since Feb. 24 are ready to launch, according to President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, in what could cause some relief to food shortages worldwide.
Zelenskyy made a surprise visit to a Black Sea port on Friday to witness the loading of one shipment. Although other ships had previously been loaded with grain, they were unable to leave port for five months now due to Russian attacks. Zelenskyy noted the moment at the Chernomorsk port in Odesa as “the first vessel, the first ship is being loaded since the beginning of the war.”
It’s a momentous occasion following a deal reached between Russia, Ukraine, and Turkey to allow exports to begin again. Ukraine is a major global supplier of grain and sunflower oil. In exchange, Russia also demanded that direct or indirect restrictions on their own grain and fertilizer be removed.
However, the deal was threatened within 24 hours of its signing when Russian forces struck an Odesa port with missiles in direct violation of the pact. Moscow maintains it was attacking military goods and hardware.
Zelenskyy said that Ukraine’s military plans to protect the ships, in case of further military actions by Russia, but said the country would move forward with the agreement.
“It is important for us that Ukraine remains the guarantor of global food security,” Zelenskyy said.
The deal will expire after 120 days. In that time, Ukraine plans to export roughly 20 million tons of grain.
Prisoner exchange deal jeopardized
Meanwhile, the U.S. has rejected Russian demands to include a convicted Russian assassin as part of a deal to secure the release of two Americans held by Moscow, calling the addition a “bad faith effort.”
Russia has reportedly demanded that convicted murderer Vadim Krasikov also be handed over alongside arms dealer Viktor Bout in exchange for American citizens Brittney Griner and Paul Whelan.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken said he had a “frank and direct conversation” about the proposed prisoner swap with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov yesterday. “I pressed the Kremlin to accept the substantial proposal that we put forth on the release of Paul Whelan and Brittney Griner,” Blinken told reporters.
The U.S. has been attempting to secure the release of WNBA and two-time Olympic medalist Griner and former U.S. Marine Whelan for weeks now. The details of the initial offer have not been made public, but anonymous sources have said the U.S. had proposed the release of Russian arms dealer Bout in exchange for the two Americans.
National Security Council spokesperson Adrienne Watson and National Security Coordinator spokesman John Kirby have called Moscow’s counter-offer, which did not even come through official channels, a “bad faith” effort.
Watson said that “holding two wrongfully detained Americans hostage for the release of a Russian assassin in a third country’s custody is not a serious counter-offer.”
Krasikov is held in German custody after his December conviction in the 2019 murder of Zelimkhan “Tornike” Khangoshvili. Khangoshvili was a former commander during the second Chechen War against Russia and a Georgian military officer in the more recent Russo-Georgian War. This made the former fighter a resource for recognizing Russian spies in operation.
Khershon counter-offensive
In Kherson, Ukrainian military officials reported that scores of soldiers were killed Saturday along with two ammunition depots. Additionally, the southern command said that Russian forces west of the Dnipro River have been isolated from supplies after rail traffic to Kherson was cut off.
Kyiv has focused its counter-attack against Russian invaders in the region, using long-range missile systems from the U.S. and other Western nations in the effort.
Yuri Sobolevsky, First Deputy Head of the Kherson Regional Council, warned residents to stay away from ammunition dumps. He wrote on the Telegram messaging app, “The Ukrainian army is pouring it on against the Russians and this is only the beginning.”
In addition to targeting ammunitions, Ukraine has also destroyed three critical bridges in the area causing a major disruption of Russian supply lines. On Saturday, however, Britain’s defense ministry warned that the invaders had likely created two pontoon bridges and a ferry system to compensate for these losses.
British intelligence officials have portrayed the situation as desperate for Moscow’s forces. In a Twitter update on the latest war developments, Britain’s top spy Richard Moore said the Soviet nation was “running out of steam” after losing thousands of soldiers.
Russian authorities within the region reject the reports.
Ukrainian prisoners of war killed
In the Donetsk province, missile strikes killed dozens of Ukrainian prisoners of war late yesterday. Both Kyiv and Moscow have blamed each other for the deaths of the men.
A reported 40 prisoners were killed, and 75 others were wounded at the Olenivka prison, according to Russia. Reuters was able to confirm some of these deaths.
Ukraine denied using U.S.-made HIMARS rockets on the prison. Instead, a spokesperson said that Russia purposely targeted the prison so that the mistreatment of the POWs would go unverified.
A Ukraine security agency also claimed to have intercepted phone calls indicating the explosion was rigged from within the prison by mercenaries from the Russian company Wagner Group.
Meanwhile, Moscow-backed separatists have accused Ukraine of covering their tracks on war crimes that the Ukrainian captives were providing information on.
“The political leadership of Ukraine decided to use U.S.-produced multiple-launch rocket systems HIMARS to carry out a strike here to veil the crimes that the Ukrainian captives started talking about,” separatist spokesman Eduard Basturin told Reuters journalists.
No account has been verified.