#al Thaer
Irena Haro
The evolution of the grain agreement over the year: from the table of Russia's negotiations with the world community to the threats of Ukrainian sea drones and the export of products by ships of "friendly" countries.
The loaded Chinese-German container ship quietly left the territorial waters of Ukraine. If Russia was at least asked or bargained in the past, now bypass.
On the morning of August 16, the first ship left Odesa on a temporary corridor opened by Ukraine after Russia withdrew from the grain deal. The JOSEPH SCHULTE container ship (Hong Kong flag) was in the port of Odesa from February 23, 2022. More than 30 thousand tons of cargo (2,114 containers) are on board the ship, mainly food. Russia previously warned that it would consider all vessels going to and from Ukrainian ports as potential military cargo carriers. But the dry cargo quietly follows its route and has already left the territorial waters of Ukraine.
The German company Bernhard Schulte Shipmanagement and the Chinese bank jointly own the vessel. The German company confirmed that the ship is heading to the Turkish port of Ambarly. The company stated that the boat was using routes submitted by Ukraine on August 10 and accepted by the International Maritime Organization, travelling through Ukraine and Romanian territorial waters to Turkey.
Director of BPG Shipping, a Ukrainian dry cargo company, which operates from Odesa, Dubai and Greece, Gennady Ivanov, has already said that if the attempt works, more ships will use the route. Given that the boat left the territorial waters of Ukraine, the attempt worked. Moreover, the "temporary corridors" in the Black Sea for commercial ships coming from or to the Ukrainian ports of Chernomorsk, Odesa and South were announced on August 10 by the Navy of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. And that in the first place, the corridor will be used for civilian ships located in these Ukrainian ports from the end of February 2022.
On the export of products from Ukraine, key Russia "friendly" countries - Turkey and China- were involved, which have successfully demonstrated the maritime and geopolitical impotence of Russia in the Black Sea. If Russia attacks the ship, it will directly confront Germany and its Chinese allies.
As long as Russia has claimed that it is possible or impossible to return to the grain deal; the Ukrainian authorities and allies quietly tried to find options for export, routes and transport, ignoring statements and threats.
Turkish Defense Minister Yashar Güler said on August 12 that Turkey is discussing with Moscow and Kyiv the issue of the return of Turkish ships blocked in Ukraine, but this is not guaranteed yet. He reported 12 Turkish merchant ships and one damaged ship crane in Ukrainian ports. But if all blocked vessels leave the Ukrainian ports loaded, the issue of export of Ukrainian grain may disappear as such.
Representatives of Ukraine not only said about the corridor but even today demonstrated the manufacture and work of sea surface drones that Ukraine used to attack the Crimean Bridge and the Russian landing ship "Olenegorsky Miner" and tanker "SIG".
In just one year, the country has gone from being a key world player to a third-world country that is not just told what to do. And she is even frightened and silent.
On August 16, the day of the departure of the container ship from the Ukrainian port, CNN released a video recording of the attack of such a sea drone SeaBaby. The video provided by the Security Service of Ukraine shows not only the video from the drone but also from the surveillance cameras of the Crimean Bridge. So there's a risk that the APU can access the bridge and impact cameras at certain times. Ukraine has demonstrated that it is not only Russia that can threaten ships. The warning was understood because no Russian ship stopped and inspected the container ship JOSEPH SCHULTE, which quietly followed its route. Although the day before, the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation published a video of the detention and inspection in the Black Sea of a cargo "Sukra Okan", which went to the Ukrainian port of Izmail and was allegedly stopped by warning fire on August 13.
And what is most interesting is not only Turkey; Ukraine already allows itself to threaten Russia in the Black Sea. Representatives of the Defense Ministry daily report on successful strikes on ports that Ukraine has nothing and nowhere to export, and they quietly load and export. First, they lied about no fleet, then about no ports, then about the grain being destroyed, and it's working.