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Added on the 18/08/2023 12:43:02 - Copyright : AFP EN
The first grain ship to sail from Ukraine since Russia reimposed its Black Sea blockade in July crosses the Bosphorus Strait in Istanbul. Ukrainian officials said the Palau-flagged Resilient Africa vessel was carrying 3,000 tonnes of wheat when it left Ukraine's Chornomorsk port on Tuesday. It was destined for Israel, according to marine traffic websites, representing the first successful Black Sea voyage since Russia pulled out of a UN-backed deal to export Ukrainian grain. IMAGES
Footage released by the US Air Force, shot on 14 March 2023, shows two Russian Su-27 aircraft flying close to a US MQ-9 unmanned aircraft over the Black Sea. The US Air Force has said the Russian jets conducted "an unsafe and unprofessional intercept", dumping fuel on the aircraft and striking its propeller, forcing Washington to bring down the MQ-9 Reaper drone in international waters. Moscow denied its aircraft had damaged the unmanned drone and said on Wednesday that it would try to retrieve the wreckage and also warned that it would react "proportionately" to any future US "provocations" as tensions. IMAGES
Two Russian Su-27 jet fighters collided with an American MQ-9 Reaper drone over the Black Sea, Pentagon Press Secretary Air Force Brig. Gen. Patrick Ryder tells reporters. SOUNDBITE
Ukrainian grain is loaded onto the Lebanese-flagged "Brave Commander" bulk carrier in the Black Sea port of Pivdennyi, near Odesa. Destined for Ethiopia, the shipment has been specially chartered by the United Nations World Food Program (WFP) to tackle food shortages in Africa caused by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. IMAGES
Images shared by the Ukrainian Ministry of Infrastructure show Ukrainian grain being loaded onto the Barbados-flagged Fulmar S bulk carrier in the Black Sea port of Chornomorsk, ahead of the ship's departure for Turkey. IMAGES
The first shipment of grain exported by Ukraine since the start of the Russian invasion on 24 February waits for inspection off the coast of Turkey. The ship sailed through a specially cleared corridor in the mine-infested waters of the Black Sea, which had been under a Russian blockade. The ship is to be inspected by a team that includes Russian and Ukrainian officials, in accordance with Russia's wish to ascertain the nature of the cargo. IMAGES