Ukraine's Cargo Ship Escapes Odesa Amid Russian Threat

The first cargo ship has successfully departed Ukraine using a new Black Sea corridor for civilian vessels, despite warnings from Russia that its navy could target such vessels. The Hong Kong-flagged vessel, Joseph Schulte, had been trapped at Odesa's port since Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. It is carrying over 2,100 containers with about 30,000 metric tons of cargo and is initially heading for Istanbul. Russia had warned of sinking civilian vessels traveling to and from Ukraine after withdrawing from a grain export deal via the Black Sea.