• The Ukrainian navy says operations at its blockaded Black Sea ports have resumed.
• Ukraine and Russia agreed on a plan to allow grain stranded by Moscow’s naval blockade to be exported from three ports.
• Ukrainian artillery struck a vital bridge in Moscow-controlled territory in south Ukraine.

Ukraine said that operations at its blockaded Black Sea ports had resumed, as it drew closer to resuming grain shipments with the establishment of a coordination centre to oversee an UN-backed pact.

As Ukrainian forces seek to retake the Kherson region, Kyiv’s artillery struck a vital bridge in Moscow-controlled territory in south Ukraine, disrupting an important supply line.

German officials allege Gazprom curtailed gas exports to Europe via the Nord Stream pipeline to 20% of capacity in retaliation for Western sanctions imposed after the invasion.

Ukraine and Russia agreed last week to allow food stuck by Moscow’s naval embargo to be shipped from three ports.

[embedpost slug=”united-states-the-call-between-biden-and-xi-is-anticipated-to-discuss-ukraine-and-tensions-in-taiwan/”]

Kyiv has said it hopes to begin sending out the first of millions of tonnes of grain “this week” despite a missile strike by Russia over the weekend on the port in Odessa.

Ukraine’s navy said “work has resumed” at the export hubs to prepare for ships to be escorted through the mine-infested waters to reach world markets.

As part of the accord, a Ukrainian-Russian coordination centre created in Istanbul to monitor shipments along agreed routes and screen for banned weapons.

The blocking of two of the world’s top grain exporters has contributed to a price surge, making food imports prohibitively expensive for some of the world’s poorest countries.

‘Leave Kherson’

Fighting has continued in Ukraine despite efforts to export food, and Kyiv hit the Antonivskiy bridge over the Dnipro river, threatening Russian supply lines.

Kirill Stremousov, deputy head of Kherson’s Russian-installed regional administration, acknowledged the bridge was hit overnight.

He downplayed the damage, maintaining the strike wouldn’t alter the outcome “in any way.”

In recent weeks, Ukrainian forces have retaken ground in Kherson, which surrendered easily to Russian forces during their February 24 invasion.

Their counter-offensive supported by Western-supplied long-range artillery has seen its forces push closer to Kherson city, which had a pre-war population of under 300,000 people.

Russian forces “should leave Kherson while it is still possible. There may not be a third warning,” Ukrainian presidential advisor Mykhaylo Podolyak said on Twitter after the attack.

“I heard a whistle. And I don’t remember anything. It exploded and I was thrown into the barn by the explosion,” 51-year-old Roman told.

Ukraine’s emergency services said that Russian artillery had hit a hotel in Bakhmut, leaving two people dead and three injured.

[embedpost slug=”nbu-governor-ukraine-expects-loan-up-to-20-billion-from-imf/”]