Three to four ships depart daily from ports in the Odesa region, despite attacks by the Russian Federation

The Russian Federation’s army is attempting to impose a complete blockade on Ukrainian ports, but as of the end of August, it has not succeeded. Every day, several ships continue to enter and leave the ports of Greater Odesa, despite Russian strikes on port infrastructure.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy made this statement at a press conference following a meeting of the Coalition of the Willing.

“There is no total blockade today. There is an attempt at a total blockade, but three to four ships a day are entering and leaving the Greater Odesa area, despite the fact that they are striking the port infrastructure,” the head of state noted.

According to Zelenskyy, two main approaches are being considered to ensure the operation of Ukrainian ports. The first is diplomatic and involves negotiations with Russia.

The second concerns security directly in the area where ships pass through. Specifically, this involves strengthening the air defense of the grain corridor, which should help protect port and critical infrastructure from Russian attacks.

“Several countries will be working on this. This includes a negotiation process—there will be talks with the ‘Russians’—as well as security measures in the form of strengthening air defense along the grain corridor,” the president explained.

Zelenskyy added that several countries will be working on the issue of shipping safety and the reopening of the Black Sea. For Ukraine, the stable operation of its ports remains critically important, as the sea route is one of the key channels for exporting Ukrainian agricultural products and other goods.

At the same time, Russia continues to attack port facilities, which threatens the operation of the maritime corridor.

As Intent previously reported, Russian occupiers struck a civilian vessel flying the Liberian flag in the Black Sea near the port of Odesa. This is already the third attack by the invaders on this ship.

Ірина Глухова