Inclusion of the Mykolaiv seaport in the If Black Sea Grain Initiative, which established a humanitarian maritime corridor to allow ships to export grain and other foodstuffs from Ukraine, will be possible only after the Kinburn Spit is liberated.
The Mykolaiv regional military administration’s head Vitalii Kim stated this during a national telethon, the Interfax Ukraine news agency reports.
"The delay is because of the ongoing de-occupation of the Kherson region, as well as the Mykolaiv region, where the Kinburn Spit is located... Geographically, our ships have to sail a kilometer away from the Kinburn Spit, which is currently dangerous. When artillery cannot reach there, it will be a very topical issue. We are getting ready," he said.
Earlier, Kim said that the Ukrainian Armed Forces still needed to liberate three settlements belonging to the Mykolaiv region on the Kinburn Spit.
It was reported earlier that 2.5 million tons of grain could potentially be exported through the Mykolaiv ports (the Mykolaiv and Olvia ports) per month.
