“Russians openly sabotage inspections”. Kubrakov comments on the work of the “grain corridor”

The work of the Grain Initiative has been virtually halted, as the corridor’s capacity is less than 20% of its capacity due to Russian actions. This was stated by Oleksandr Kubrakov, Deputy Prime Minister for Recovery and Minister of Community Development, Territories and Infrastructure, in his column for NV.

“The Russians are openly sabotaging ship inspections, and the corridor’s capacity is less than 20% of the possible capacity. This leads to significant losses not only on the part of Ukraine: the world has lost at least 20 million tons of agricultural products due to Russian sabotage of the grain deal,” he said.

According to him, the opening of Ukrainian seaports for all types of goods is essential for the Ukrainian economy.

“This is a fairly simple formula – our economy is export-oriented, a working economy means that the state can pay salaries to defenders, and well-equipped defenders are the way to victory. Russia is well aware of the interconnectedness of these things, which is why it attacks peaceful cities and businesses,” Kubrakov explained.

As a reminder, the Russian side periodically sabotages ship inspections in Turkish territorial waters, blocking the grain corridor. Therefore, a queue of ships has formed.

On May 17, 2023, it became known that the grain initiative had been extended for another 2 months – until July 18.

Tags: Black Sea grain corridor