MOSCOW, June 30, 2022 (AFP) – A ship carrying 7,000 tonnes of grain has sailed from Ukraine’s port of Berdyansk, currently controlled by Russian forces, the region’s Moscow-appointed official said on Thursday.

“After numerous months of delay, the first merchant ship has left the Berdyansk commercial port, 7,000 tonnes of grain are heading toward friendly countries,” Evgeny Balitski, the head of the pro-Russia administration, said on Telegram.