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67 ships from 15 countries are anchored at Ukrainian ports due to the risk of being hit by shell fire or sailing into mines
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Offer comes as Ukranian forces reportedly destroyed a Russian military ship with a rocket at Berdyansk port near Mariupol
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Shipping companies suspended their operations at Ukranian ports after three cargo ships were hit by rockets or missiles in the early days of the war
The Russian military said it will offer safe passage starting Friday, March 25, to 67 ships from 15 foreign countries stranded at Ukrainian ports because of the danger of being hit by artillery or sailing into mines, according to reports.
A Russian general was reported to have made the offer as a Ukrainian missile struck a Russian military landing ship, setting off explosions and a fire that gutted the vessel at the Ukrainian port of Berdyansk, about 80km southwest of the besieged city of Mariupol.
Col. Gen. Mikhail Mizintsev said Thursday that Russia is offering to allow foreign vessels to gather in the Black Sea 32 kilometers southeast of the port of Illichivsk and then follow a 129km-long “humanitarian corridor” to safety, the Associated Press reported.
He added the safe route will be open daily from 8am to 7pm Moscow time (0500 to 1600 GMT) starting Friday. It wasn’t known how many stranded ships have taken up the offer.
He said 67 foreign vessels had been stranded at Ukrainian ports. Mizintsev claimed that those ships have been unable to leave due to the threat of Ukrainian shelling and the presence of sea mines deployed by the Ukrainian forces.
Earlier unconfirmed reports said about 300 commercial vessels had been stranded on the Black Sea since Russia invaded Ukraine a month ago.
At least three cargo ships, a Bangladeshi and an Estonian freighter and a Turkish bulker, were hit by artillery fire or missiles in the early days of the invasion. A Bangladeshi crewman was killed and his vessel was damaged. The Estonian ship sank in Russian-controlled waters off the port of Odessa and two of its five crewmen were rescued.
The danger of getting hit by missiles or artillery fire or sailing into mine zones forced cargo vessels already at the Ukranian ports to stay at the harbor. Shipping lines have stopped calling at Ukranian ports after the attacks.
On Thursday, Ukrainian forces destroyed a large Russian landing ship that was believed to be delivering armor and ammunition to the invading forces besieging Mariupol. A Ukrainian general confirmed the strike, the California-based Coffee or Die Magazine reported.
Brig. Gen. Kyrylo Budanov, chief of Defense Intelligence of Ukraine, said that Ukrainian forces hit a Russian Alligator-class landing ship with a land-based rocket while it was docked at Berdyansk.
Though only lightly armed, such a ship carries troops and materiel. With a capacity of about 1,000 tons, the 1960s-era ship could carry as many as 20 modern tanks, though it was unknown what was on board when the vessel was hit.
Budanov would not say how the Ukrainians had targeted the ship but provided videos and pictures of what appeared to be an explosion on the ship at or soon after impact.
Other ships identified as Russian cargo transports were seen steaming out of the harbor as the stricken ship burned.
