Day 240: Russia adds headwinds to implementation of grain deal

A view of the Comorian-flagged general cargo ship "Kubrosli Y." in the sea port in Odesa after restarting grain export, as Russia's attack on Ukraine continues, Ukraine August 19, 2022. REUTERS/Valentyn Ogirenko//File Photo

Russia artificially creates line of 150 ships undermining grain initiative, Zelenskyi says

Russia deliberately delays the passage of ships from Ukrainian ports under the grain initiative. It artificially created a line of 150 ships, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyi said. “The situation around the Export Grain Initiative is becoming more and more tense these weeks. The enemy is doing everything to slow down our food exports. I believe that with these actions, Russia is deliberately inciting the food crisis so that it becomes as acute as it was in the first half of this year.”

“More than 150 ships are queuing up to fulfill their contractual obligations for the supply of our agricultural products. This is an artificial queue that has arisen only because Russia is deliberately delaying the passage of ships,” Zelenskyi said.

These are just some of the states to which food exports are delayed because of Russia: Egypt, Tunisia, Algeria, Morocco, Lebanon, Iraq, China, Bangladesh, Indonesia.

“Our partners: the UN, Turkey and others are fully informed about this situation,” he said. 

President Zelenskyi said the delay meant Ukraine grain exports were short 3 million tons, which he said was enough to feed 10 million people.

Occupation administration of Beryslav, in Kherson region halts activities

In Beryslav, Russian-installed administration halted activities on October 19, the General Staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces said. Russia’s collaborators and their families continue to leave the city with their belongings.  

Russians take 46 children from orphanage in Kherson to Simferopol

“Today, the Russian occupying forces transported in ambulances 46 children from the Kherson regional orphanage to Simferopol. These are children under the age of five. The Russians call abduction of the children ‘evacuation’,” head of the Kherson regional military administration Yaroslav Yanushevych said on Telegram.

The Kherson regional administration submitted a claim to the prosecutor’s regional office.

Of the 46 children, 18 are deprived of parental care, nine are in foster care, and 19 were separated from their parents but have no respective legal status, the Kherson regional administration said. Children will be allegedly brought back in two weeks, personnel of the orphanage said.  

A few days before the children were illegally moved to Crimea, they were featured in a propaganda video on distribution of humanitarian aid supplies and autumn day festivities with representatives of the Russian-installed administration. 

Project Nadiya: helping IDPs to build new houses and life in Zakarpattia. Ukraine in Flames #225

Russia brought sorrow, death, and destruction to the land of Ukraine. Millions of people were forced to leave their homes and became internally displaced people. Project “Nadiya” (translated as “hope”) is a grassroots initiative aimed at providing those people with hope for a new life: housing,  work, support, and human dignity. Watch Ukraine in flames #225 to learn how this idea was born and how it’s supported by IDPs themselves

Guests:

  • Andriy Doroshuk, founder and director of the Charity Foundation “Project Nadiya” (Ukraine)
  • Nadiya Tkachenko, founder and director of the charity organization “Project Nadiya” (USA)
  • Konstantyn Mikutski, Contractor and Volodymyr Demydovych, Project Manager of the Charity Foundation “Project Nadiya”