Four more ships loaded with Ukraine grain set sail

Four more ships loaded with grain set off from Ukrainian ports on Sunday, as Moscow and Kyiv blamed each other for a new strike at a Russian-occupied nuclear plant.

Odessa regional authorities, meanwhile, announced that another two grain shipments were due to leave on Monday.

Kyiv's infrastructure ministry wrote on Telegram on Sunday that a convoy of Ukrainian supplies had left, with three ships departing from Chornomorsk and one from Odessa.

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The Mustafa Necati, the Star Helena, the Glory and the Riva Wind were carrying "around 170,000 tonnes of agriculture-related merchandise", it said.

The spokesman for the Odessa regional military administration said early Monday morning that the MV Sacura and MV Arizona had also been cleared to set sail.

It would "transport more than 59,000 tonnes of food via the maritime humanitarian corridor today", he said.

Amnesty's regret

Amnesty International on Sunday said it deeply regretted the "distress and anger" caused after it alleged Ukrainian forces were flouting international law by exposing civilians to Russian fire, but stood by its controversial report.

The Thursday report, which sparked outrage in Ukraine, accused the military of endangering civilians by establishing bases in schools and hospitals, and launching counter-attacks from heavily populated areas.

The Marshall Islands-flagged bulk carrier Riva Wind is seen at the sea port in Odesa, Ukraine, on Sunday. Reuters

Meanwhile, the renewed shipments of Ukrainian grain to help ease global food shortages and bring down prices offered a small glimmer of hope as the war entered its sixth month.

Ukraine, one of the world's largest grain exporters, had been forced to halt almost all deliveries in the wake of Russia's invasion.

That sent global food prices soaring, making imports prohibitively expensive for some of the world's poorest nations.

A bulk carrier arrived in Chornomorsk on Saturday to be loaded with grain for the first time since Moscow's invasion.

The departure Sunday of the four other vessels, along with Monday's planned departure of two more, came after several others set sail last week under a deal brokered with the help of Turkey.

'Sign of hope'

In Rome on Sunday, Pope Francis welcomed the resumption of grain exports as "a sign of hope" that showed dialogue was possible to end the war.

Sunday also saw Zelensky post photos of himself meeting with Oscar-winning US actress Jessica Chastain in Ukraine, just as Moscow was celebrating the re-election of a former senior Russian politician to the world body governing chess.

The Marshall Islands-flagged bulk carrier Glory leaves the sea port in Chornomorsk, Ukraine, on Sunday. Reuters

On Telegram Zelensky underlined the value of visits from famous people, writing: "Thanks to this, the world will hear, know and understand the truth about what is happening in our country even more."

Earlier on Sunday, Moscow had celebrated a diplomatic victory of its own with the re-election of Russia's Arkady Dvorkovich to the helm of the international chess body FIDE.

Dvorkovich, a former deputy premier under Russian President Vladimir Putin, comfortably saw off a challenge from Ukrainian grandmaster Andrii Baryshpolets who had accused him of being part of Moscow's "war machine".

Agence France-Presse