closer schreef op 30 juni 2022 11:05:
Russia confirms withdrawal from Snake Island, claims it is 'step of goodwill'
The Russian ministry of defence has confirmed in its daily operational briefing that it has withdrawn from Snake Island in the Black Sea, claiming it is a “step of goodwill” to facilitate grain shipments. It writes:
"On 30 June 30, as a step of goodwill, the armed forces of the Russian Federation completed their assigned tasks on Zmiinyi Island and withdrew the garrison stationed there.
Thus, it has been demonstrated to the world community that the Russian Federation does not interfere with the efforts of the UN to organise a humanitarian corridor for the export of agricultural products from the territory of Ukraine.
This decision will not allow Kyiv to speculate on the topic of the impending food crisis, referring to the impossibility of exporting grain due to Russia’s total control of the northwestern part of the Black Sea. Now the word is up to the Ukrainian side, which has not yet cleared the Black Sea coast near its shores, including the port waters.
The armed forces of the Russian Federation continue a special military operation in Ukraine."
Kyiv has previously said it would not demine the waters around its port as they were needed as a defensive measure against Russia’s Black Sea fleet approaching Ukraine’s southern coast and launching sea-based attacks on the cities of Odesa and Mykolaiv.
www.theguardian.com/world/live/2022/j...