Since the withdrawal from the grain agreement, the Russian Federation has carried out 17 attacks, which led to a 40% decrease in the export potential of the ports, Minister of Infrastructure Oleksandr Kubrakov said. Almost 300,000 tons of grain were destroyed in these attacks.
Despite all this, Ukraine created an opportunity to operate a temporary corridor for civilian vessels. Since its establishment, 21 ships have already used this corridor, and 25 ships have entered the ports for loading.
“We continue to work on expanding the corridor, and this is our responsibility for the world’s food security“, the minister said.
If Russia had not restrained the grain corridor, Ukraine could have exported at least 57 million tons of grain instead of the 33 million tons it was able to export. In response to this, the Ukrainian government allowed the Sea Port Administration to lower its contribution to the state budget in the second half of 2023 by up to 30%, with the condition that it must direct 50% of its net profit to repair port infrastructure during 2023-2025.