Russia 'ready' to provide humanitarian food corridors in Ukraine; wants sanctions relief

Russia is willing to provide a humanitarian corridor for ships carrying food to leave Ukraine in exchange for the lifting of some sanctions, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Andrei Rudenko said on May 25, the Interfax news agency reported. Rudenko also stated that once the prisoners who surrendered have been convicted, Russia will explore the prospect of a prisoner exchange with Ukraine. Moreover, he went on to say that it was premature to build a Russian military facility in Ukraine's Kherson region, which is under Russian influence.

Further, in the face of Russian port blockades, the British Ministry of Defence has also raised the problem of Ukrainian grain shipments. The UK Defence Ministry, in its latest Intelligence update on the war in Ukraine, stated, "There has been no significant merchant shipping activity in or out of Odesa since the start of the war. Russia's subsequent naval blockade of key Black Sea ports has deterred the commercial shipping industry from operating in the area."

Meanwhile, according to the report, Ukraine's overland export channels "are highly unlikely to compensate for the reduction in maritime capacity induced by the Russian blockade." Hence, according to the report, large amounts of Ukrainian grain are stuck in storage and unable to be exported. The consequent supply shortages will drive up the global price of several staple products, according to the report.

Russia-Ukraine war

Further, according to the Zaporizhzhia regional military administration, Russia launched four missiles against Zaporizhzhia, one of which was intercepted by Ukrainian air defences. According to the regional administration, one person was killed and three others were injured in the attack.

According to the Zaporizhzhia regional military administration, the missile attack began at around 5.13 am and destroyed 62 buildings. Despite the fact that one Russian missile was shot down, the other three were intercepted after they hit two city districts in Shevchenkivskyi and a commercial centre in Oleksandrivsk.

Moreover, according to regional governor of eastern Ukraine, Russian shelling killed up to six civilians. Serhiy Haidai, a Luhansk region official, said that eight more people were injured in the city of Severodonetsk in the last 24 hours. It is worth noting that Severodonetsk is a key battleground in Ukraine's eastern industrial heartland of Donbas.

(With inputs from Agencies)

Image: AP