Ukraine war: What you need to know this Wednesday
The headquarters that will coordinate grain exports from Ukraine was unveiled in Turkey on Wednesday, following a landmark agreement to unlock shipments last week.
The first ships carrying much-needed wheat and maize are expected to depart from Black Sea ports within days.
Russia and Ukraine signed a deal last Friday, brokered by the United Nations (UN) and Turkey, which was aimed at providing safe corridors for ships exporting Ukrainian grain across the Black Sea that have not been able to set sail since the start of the invasion.
The joint coordination centre (JCC) will oversee departures from the ports of Odessa, Chernomorsk and Yuzhny.
Ships must circumvent the heavily mined waters and then be inspected in the Turkish capital for weapons, under the terms of the deal.
“The duty of the centre is to provide safe sea transportation of grain and similar food products to be exported from Ukraine,” Turkish Defense Minister Hulusi Akar said Wednesday, as he unveiled the headquarters.
Akar said preparations were ongoing for the first ships to leave Ukrainian ports.
Ukrainian, UN and Turkish officials have all expressed hope that the first vessels would depart one of the Black Sea ports in a few days, though they have suggested it could take two weeks for all three ports to become fully operational.
On Saturday, Russian missiles struck the largest and most significant of Ukraine's ports - in Odesa - throwing the grain deal into jepodary.
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Ukrainian troops used US-supplied precision rocket launchers to knock out a strategic bridge used by Russia to supply its forces in southern Ukraine's occupied Kherson region, officials said Wednesday.
Ukraine also claimed to have destroyed an enemy ammunition depot, artillery pieces and
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