Joseph Schulte, a civilian cargo ship from Ukraine, has reached Istanbul. Defying a Russian blockade, the Hong Kong-flagged ship reached its destination on Thursday.
This is the first vessel to directly challenge Vladimir Putin’s bid to cut off Ukraine’s access to the Black Sea.
The Joseph Schulte mission comes just days after Russia opened fire on a Turkish-owned ship. The Palau-flagged vessel, as per AFP, was sailing to the Ukrainian river port of Izmail when the Russian navy fired warning shots and boarded it.
Not only this, Moscow, since pulling out of the UN-backed and Turkey mediated Black Sea Grain Initiative, has stepped up attacks on Ukraine’s shipping infrastructure.
Ukraine’s decision to take on Russia over maritime access coincides with global attention being focused on ensuring the security of grain export routes in time for this year’s autumn harvest.
How did Joseph Schulte evade Russia?
According to marine traffic websites, the ship moved along a western route that deliberately steered clear of international waters and instead travelled through areas under the control of NATO members Romania and Bulgaria.
In Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s words, the ship was utilising a “new humanitarian corridor” established by Kyiv.
This corridor, as per news agency AFP, was put in place after Russia withdrew from the agreement that facilitated the export of grain along the Black Sea.
Significance of the Black Sea Grain Initiative
The deal that happened last year helped bring down global food prices and also helped Ukraine with an important revenue source that aided its efforts in the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war.
However, on July 17, Moscow pulled out of the deal. It claimed that it was exiting the deal, as it had failed to fulfil the goal of relieving hunger from Africa and other famine-stricken nations.
Recently, the United States said it was “going to look at everything” — including the possibility of military support for the Ukrainian ships.
(With inputs from agencies)
recommended stories
recommended stories
You can now write for wionews.com and be a part of the community. Share your stories and opinions with us here.
